A Retrospective of the Continuing LONG STORY of the City Mismanagement of Varona Village
A Virtual Tour Of Historic Varona Village - The Ewa Plantation Village The City Forgot About
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Varona Village residents worry they will lose homes to developers
"Seeing all the construction and everything that's going on, that's why the sudden push now," said Patrick Hange, a Varona resident who started a petition among residents asking for a chance to buy their homes.
Hange, the son-in-law of a former plantation worker, imagines how easily developers would be enticed by Varona Village because all the residents are only renters.
"It'd be very easy, and it could be a way for the city and county to pull more money out of the area," he said.
Varona Village still waiting for private developer
'EWA VILLAGES — City officials continue to bring down dilapidated homes in Varona Village for health and safety reasons, but have no solid commitment yet from a private developer to build a proposed community center there.
The city, which this month began tearing down about 20 Varona homes in poor condition, said it is looking for a private developer to commit to the proposed Varona Village Community Services Project, which would include a day-care center for children and seniors, and possibly classrooms for preschool and other programs. The site could also include ball courts and other recreational facilities.
The city earlier this spring completed a final environmental assessment report for the project.
The city, which this month began tearing down about 20 Varona homes in poor condition, said it is looking for a private developer to commit to the proposed Varona Village Community Services Project, which would include a day-care center for children and seniors, and possibly classrooms for preschool and other programs. The site could also include ball courts and other recreational facilities.
The city earlier this spring completed a final environmental assessment report for the project.
Varona Village Residents feel ousted by progress
omes with boarded-up windows and rotting walls line the dusty streets of the once-vibrant Varona plantation camp in Ewa Villages.
Enter a nonprofit organization that wants to revitalize a six-acre section of Varona, about a third of it, by fixing up the aging houses and putting up a preschool, adult job center and other social service facilities there.
Ewa plantation home project is bittersweet
It's being hailed as the most ambitious historical renovation ever attempted in Hawaii. It's garnered kudos from historic preservationists and community leaders alike.
While 280 old plantation homes are renovated and more than 250 new "plantation-style" homes are interspersed in the villages at Ewa, some residents are planning to buy at an "affordable" price and stay; others are preparing to move.
Archive of Prominent Section 106 Cases:
April 1999 Ewa Villages Redevelopment
April 1999 Ewa Villages Redevelopment
On February 9, 1999, Council staff toured Ewa Villages with representatives from the Ewa Villages Nonprofit Development Corporation (EVNDC), the Hawaii State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and members of the Ewa community to assess the progress of the ongoing revitalization effort.
Old homes in Ewa are attracting the attention of lawmakers
“I pray to God they’re going to help us fix the house,” said Tapoan.
In the 1990s, the City fixed up the homes in two other neighboring plantation villages — Renton and Tenney — and sold the houses and lots.
Varona was supposed to be next.
“Years ago there was a problem in which the housing administrator overseeing the development of Ewa Villages had committed fraud. That was the Michael Kahapea situation. I think after that things came to a halt,” said Menor.
