The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has told the federal government it will accept an 80-acre parcel in Ewa Beach that the state agency plans to eventually redevelop to provide homesteads for Native Hawaiians, many of whom have waited years for such offerings.

The federal government last year offered the site of the former Pacific Tsunami Warning Center to DHHL to help settle longstanding claims against the U.S. government for unauthorized use of trust lands set aside for Hawaiians.

The offer stems from a 1995 federal law, called the Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery Act, that Congress passed to settle the past claims. The federal government to date has transferred nearly 900 acres to the 203,00-acre trust, which is managed by DHHL, to make amends for the past wrongs.

But the Ewa Beach parcel would be the first that is suitable for homesteading purposes, according to DHHL. The nearly 900 other acres have been in commercial and industrial areas not suited for residential use, the department said.

“This transfer of land from the U.S. government is truly in line with the spirit” of the recovery act, William Aila, DHHL director and chairman of the Hawaiian Homes Commission, said in a statement. “This large swath of flat land is in close proximity to existing infrastructure, which will allow the department to develop these lands quicker and for a lower cost than our more isolated parcels.”

Once the land is transferred, DHHL plans to ask the Legislature for funding to start the planning process for the parcel, which potentially could accommodate hundreds of homes.

About 11,000 beneficiaries are waiting for residential homesteads on Oahu, and some have waited decades. A beneficiary is entitled to a 99-year lease for a residential, ranching or farming homestead and pays $1 per year for the land.