HCH photo by Patrick Downes
Marlene De Costa, the new diocesan director of real estate, in her office at the chancery building.
Diocese hires director of real estate
Job goes to veteran property manager and real estate administrator Marlene De Costa
By Patrick Downes | Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Diocese of Honolulu has hired veteran property manager and real estate administrator Marlene De Costa as the diocesan Director of Real Estate. She will act as a consultant in the management of diocesan and parish properties and leases. Her appointment was announced March 23
De Costa’s 24 years of commercial real estate experience will bring “in-house expertise” to the diocese.
“Her primary function,” Bishop Larry Silva told the Hawaii Catholic Herald, “is to provide sound advice to me regarding the most beneficial long-term management of our land assets, both in leaseholds and in ownership of property.”
It is a new position and part-time. De Costa, whose office is on the third floor of the diocesan chancery building, will work Tuesdays through Thursdays.
De Costa said she will assist the diocese and its parishes and schools in the sale and purchase of properties, with lease negotiations and renewals, and when and how to expand, sell, move or trade properties.
There is a need to “pro-actively look at how to handle real estate issues in the diocese,” she said. “Somebody has to make the decisions.”
Bishop Silva said that De Costa’s position developed from her activity as chairwoman of the Diocesan Land Asset Management and Acquisition Committee, one of the groups created to implement the diocesan strategic planning “Roadmap.”
“As she began her work, it became clear that there was a great deal of work to do,” he said. “She helped us renegotiate some leases, evaluate some properties, and in short, has already saved us some money just by applying her expertise to these situations.”
After consulting with his Administrative Advisory Committee, the bishop decided to hire her part-time.
“I think it will be well worth our expenditure to have a person like Marlene De Costa assist us in these important decisions, some of which will have consequences for decades to come,” he said.
In addition to the land on which churches, schools and offices are located, the church also owns what De Costa described as a “hodgepodge” of properties, many donated. They include everything from agricultural land to parking lots to houses.
Some of Hawaii’s churches are on leased land.
De Costa, 60, recently retired as the asset services managing director of the Hawaii office of CB Richard Ellis Inc., the world’s largest commercial real estate firm, where she worked since 2001.
The news release announcing her retirement described her as a “legend in commercial property management in Hawaii.”
Before that she was the commercial property manager for Chaney Brooks in Hawaii.
De Costa is also a member of the Maryknoll School Board and chairwoman of its facilities committee, vice-chairwoman of the board of directors for HUGS (Help, Understanding and Group Support) and a member of the finance council at Holy Trinity Parish.
De Costa attended St. Joseph School, Hilo, and graduated from Maryknoll School in Honolulu. She has a B.S. degree in sociology from Seattle University and a master’s in business administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu.
She is also a past president of Building Owners and Managers Association of Hawaii and the Hawaii chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management. She is also a licensed Hawaii real estate broker.
She and her husband Thom De Costa live in Hawaii Kai. They have two adult sons.