Mayor establishes new Department of Housing and Land Management with City Council’s blessing

News Release from Office of the Mayor, April 30, 2025

HONOLULU – After more than a decade of exploring ways to improve its housing efforts, the City, under Mayor Rick Blangiardi’s leadership, has officially established the new Department of Housing and Land Management (DHLM) — a bold, strategic reorganization to centralize and accelerate the City’s housing initiatives.

Building on his administration’s unwavering commitment to addressing Oʻahu’s housing crisis, the creation of DHLM marks a major step forward in coordinating efforts and expanding the City’s capacity to deliver more affordable housing. Approved today by the Honolulu City Council, DHLM reflects the transformative vision Mayor Blangiardi outlined in his 2024 State of the City Address, shaped through collaboration with department heads, housing experts, and community stakeholders.

The new department consolidates key housing and land functions from the Department of Land Management, Mayor’s Office of Housing, Department of Planning and Permitting, and Department of Community Services into a single, coordinated entity with 51 full-time positions.

“This marks the first time in 27 years that the City will have a fully staffed department dedicated to developing much-needed housing,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “When I took office in 2021, the Office of Housing had just one employee. Today, we are launching a department built from the ground up — one that reflects our administration’s resolve to take action, cut through bureaucracy, and deliver real results for the people of Oʻahu. DHLM will give us the structure, the scale, and the leadership to do more — and do it faster.”

At its core, DHLM will feature two major new divisions — a Housing Development Division to lead partnerships on City-owned land, and a Housing Finance Division to create innovative funding tools that reduce barriers to development. These additions are critical to aligning public resources with solutions that accelerate housing production.

Kevin D. Auger, Executive Director of the Office of Housing, will serve as Director of DHLM, with Catherine A. Taschner, Director Designate of the Department of Land Management, stepping into the role of Deputy Director. Together, they will lead efforts to expand housing production, shape policy, and guide the development of transit-oriented communities across Oʻahu.

“Our residents, families, and friends across the island are currently facing a historic housing affordability and access crisis. Establishing the Department of Housing and Land Management is a strategic and much-needed step towards addressing O‘ahu’s housing needs,” said Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters. “The reorganization of departments aims to consolidate essential housing and land management functions, enabling a more timely, efficient, and effective response to O’ahu’s ongoing housing challenges. The reorganization is intended to ensure that the city’s resources are utilized most effectively, allowing the City to serve our kama‘āina better and make significant strides toward meaningful progress.”

DHLM will be organized into six core divisions:

• Housing Development: Leads development of affordable and mixed-use housing projects, focusing on City-owned land and public-private partnerships, especially in transit-oriented areas.
• Housing Finance: Administers City housing funds, supports project financing, manages incentives, and partners with finance agencies to expand funding tools.
• Housing Policy: Leads interagency coordination on housing policy and housing-related legislative efforts.
• Housing Property and Asset Management: This department manages the City’s residential real estate portfolio, including contracts, compliance, and property inventory.
• Land Transactions: Oversees negotiation and execution of real estate transactions affecting City-owned land.
• Conservation: Manages the Clean Water and Natural Lands (CWNL) program and Advisory Commission, acquires and stewards lands for conservation.

“This department was built to execute,” added Kevin Auger, Director Designate of DHLM. “We’ve outlined an ambitious housing strategy and we’re building a platform to execute that strategy.  I am honored that the Mayor has asked me to lead this effort and I’m especially excited to continue my partnership with Cat Taschner. Organizing the platform around the hardworking staff at DHLM, we finally have a structure that will allow us to focus on what matters most — creating more housing for the people of Oʻahu. We have an enormous job ahead of us, but this reorganization provides us with a solid foundation on which to build from. With the right team, the right tools, and the right partnerships, I am confident we can deliver real results for our communities.”

The department’s formation aligns with the City’s 2025–2028 Strategic Housing Plan, released in January, and sets the stage for possible future consolidation of additional housing-related functions to further streamline efforts.

With this historic reorganization, the City is taking a major step toward building the internal organizational structure necessary to deliver long-term housing solutions. DHLM will serve as the central hub for coordinating land use, development, and housing delivery — ensuring that public resources are strategically aligned to meet the evolving needs of Oʻahu’s residents today and for generations to come.

For more information, visit honolulu.gov/dhlm.

—PAU—