The deal would allow a developer to circumvent county zoning rules by tapping into the Hawaiian housing agency’s special powers. In return, the agency could get a revenue boost for building homes.

The Hawaiian Homes Commission unanimously voted to delay a real estate deal that would have cleared the way for a new commercial center to be developed in ʻEwa over concerns that the land could be polluted.

The commission was scheduled to take up an agreement on Monday for Kalanianaʻole Development to buy a 19-acre lot that’s mostly agricultural land, donate it to the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and then lease it back under a 65-year agreement that would see the private developer pay a portion of revenues to the department.

The plan is a little convoluted, but was pitched as a way

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