Breaking News
Local News

Ground broken for senior rental project in Kahului

Kahului Lani to offer 165 affordable units

By Chris Sugidono 4 min read

KAHULUI -- Catholic Charities Housing Development Corp. broke ground Tuesday morning on the 165-unit Kahului Lani senior affordable rental housing development that has grocery stores, eateries and Queen Ka'ahumanu Center all within walking distance.

The nearly 4-acre site, located across the street from Foodland and near the Kahului Public Library, is bordered by Vevau, School and South Kane streets. The developers, who operate as a subsidiary of the nonprofit Catholic Charities Hawai'i, held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $34 million project with county officials and other supporters participating.

"It turned out to be the perfect location," development corporation President Rick Stack said. "With affordable housing development, you kind of have to take what you can get. You don't have the opportunity to be all that selective in your sites, but we were very fortunate to acquire this site in such a prime location."

The project will be built in two phases with construction on the first phase -- a six-story building with 82 units -- set to begin by the end of the year. Completion is targeted for 2020.

The second phase calls for 83 units and a two-story multipurpose building, which will include offices for the nonprofit entity to provide on-site case management services and programs for residents. Once completed, seniors 55 years and older, who earn 60 percent or less of the county median income, will be eligible to apply as potential tenants.

The county Public Works Department also is partnering with Catholic Charities and HMSA's Blue Zones Project to install a pedestrian island and a flashing activated crosswalk signal on Kane Street, Deputy Director Rowena Dagdag-Andaya said. She said improved lighting and other features are being mulled to make the area safer for walking and biking.

Stack thanked Mayor Alan Arakawa and his administration for prioritizing the project under a new fast-track permitting process. Arakawa issued a workforce housing certificate for the development to ensure permits were processed first and remained a priority until granted.

Earlier this year, the Maui Planning Commission granted a special management area use permit to allow construction of the senior affordable rental project.

"We hear a lot about fast track permitting for affordable housing projects, and this is a living, breathing example of the success of fast track permitting in the County of Maui," Stack said. "It was a fabulous experience for us and certainly a great benefit for seniors who will live in Kahului Lani."

Arakawa said that the "silver tsunami" of seniors seeking housing is growing and that the county needs to "rethink" affordable housing. He believed the six-story structure limits sprawling construction and conserves open and green spaces.

"The fact that we have sewer, we have water, we have the roads right in the area make it much more comfortable for a developer to come in and afford to put in units," he said. "It takes a lot of the cost out of construction."

The development is Catholic Charities' first Neighbor Island project after buying the property from Alexander & Baldwin. The two sides worked together for the past two years to complete the purchase as Catholic Charities arranged the financing, Stack said.

"A&B had a housing project planned here 10 years ago that was not able to move forward and has sat vacant," he said. "There's been various interim uses here, but nothing permanent. It's too good a location to sit unused so we're very pleased to be able to build housing for Maui seniors."

A&B Properties originally had planned the Kane Street commercial project for the site and had worked to obtain land-use approvals and to begin sales in the mid-2000s. It was planned as a mixed-use development of two- and three-bedroom apartments with commercial space, but delays and the Great Recession set the project back.

Mayor-elect Mike Victorino said after Tuesday's ceremony that he looks forward to continuing the project next year.

"I truly look forward to next year this time to dedicate the first group of units so our seniors can have a really community-centered area where everything is available," Victorino said. "Shopping, restaurants -- everything will be in walking distance, and you won't have to get in your car."

* Chris Sugidono can be reached at csugidono@mauinews.com.

Starting at /week.