More people prefer a stadium on the University of Hawaii-Manoa campus (42%) than in Halawa (41%), according to the recent Honolulu Star-Advertiser Hawaii Poll (“Public support for Aloha Stadium replacement plan is shaky,” July 27). That represents a reversal of public sentiment. Six months ago, a Star-Advertiser poll showed that more people favored a new stadium in Halawa (46%) than on the UH campus (38%). This shift in public opinion is likely due largely to the rising cost of living.

In a recent survey by Community First Hawaii, 52% of respondents reported reducing their food and grocery budgets for financial reasons. Those are basic necessities that people are cutting back on.

By contrast, the state has funded a new stadium, which is an example of discretionary spending. Government should not be spending $400 million on something that is not needed.

That money could instead be used to bring down the cost of living for thousands of families — if not tens of thousands — because it could be used to build affordable housing on the Aloha Stadium site. The cost of land is typically a major cost of housing development, but in this case, the land cost would be zero since the state owns it.

It is unusual for former governors to make a unified statement on any issue, but Ben Cayetano, John Waihee and Neil Abercrombie wrote an op-ed that appeared in the Star-Advertiser last year (“‘Hail Mary’ for housing: Say aloha to Aloha Stadium, and hello to a collegiate stadium at UH-Manoa,” Island Voices, Oct. 31, 2021). In it, they opposed a new stadium at the Aloha Stadium site, and instead, endorsed the development of workforce housing.

Developing large-scale housing at the Aloha Stadium site for those who need it most would require reforming the role of state government in housing development because current methods are much too costly. Hawaii’s affordable housing agency, the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., provides subsidies for affordable housing, but does not perform all of the functions of housing development. The state needs to find a way to function as a housing developer because that would bring costs down.

Much of the housing at the stadium site should be affordable to people in the mid- to lower-income range, including those earning the minimum wage. The housing should be affordable to people like teachers, police officers, carpenters, custodians, auto mechanics, hotel workers, short order cooks, waiters and waitresses.

A law was recently passed that will increase the minimum wage to $18 per hour in 2028. At that rate, a single person would be able to afford $925 a month in rent or monthly payment, and a couple would be able to afford $1,850 a month, according to federal guidelines.

But that’s not how the state thinks of affordable housing. It thinks that homes priced at $600,000 are “affordable.” The state’s concept of “affordable housing” must be brought down to earth and made relevant to the financial realities of Hawaii’s families.

The affordable housing at the Aloha Stadium site should be designed to be of modest proportions so that costs would be minimized. The housing should be available only to Hawaii residents. The affordable housing should be part of a vision that includes housing at all income levels. The development should be dense, to further reduce costs.

The vision should incorporate grocery stores, restaurants, shops and other urban amenities, all in a walkable, livable neighborhood. The stadium site includes a rail transit station, so the need for personal vehicles should be minimized.

It’s a vision that will take leadership at the highest levels of government to attain. But we will soon have a new governor and new legislators. If the people of Hawaii are committed to this vision, they will surely make it happen.

John Kawamoto is a former legislative analyst and an advocate for affordable housing.