A groundbreaking and blessing of the eventual 200-unit Kaiaulu o Kuku’ia project took place Tuesday morning on the site to celebrate the next step of the long-fought-for development — construction, which is slated to take 24 months.

The 200 apartment homes located mauka of the Lahaina Gateway Shopping Center will consist of 25 two-story, eight-plex buildings with 100 two-bedroom, 75 three-bedroom and 25 four-bedroom units of affordable workforce housing, said Doug Bigley, president of developer Ikaika Ohana, adding that this is a “special project for everyone.”

Units will range from $770 to $1,540 for two-bedroom units, $890 to $1,780 for three-bedroom units and $993 to $1,986 for four-bedroom units, according to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. The project is for families earning 60 percent or less of the median income.

Maui County Mayor Michael Victorino said Tuesday during the ceremony that there has been a “dire need” for affordable housing and has watched the Keawe Street Apartments project — as it was formerly known — move through its conceptual phases for the past decade while working on the council.

Ige

Kaiaulu o Kuku’ia is one of 36 priority projects outlined in the Maui County Comprehensive Affordable Housing Plan.

“The workforce has been neglected, that’s the middle class, for a long time and now we need to wrap it up,” Victorino said. “It shows that when all of us work together, this is what we can achieve. My goal is to continue doing that through the years so that we can build more of these affordable homes, but most importantly, take care of our residents and they can live and work and raise their families here like all of us have had an opportunity to.”

West and South Maui Sen. Roz Baker agreed that this is bringing much-needed housing for local families and added that “folks are going to have a great view.”

“May it be delivered on time and under budget,” Baker said lightheartedly.

Gov. David Ige flew from Honolulu for the groundbreaking, saying in his remarks that this project, which is part of the state’s Villages of Leiali’i master-planned community, has taken over 30 years to bring to fruition.

Bigley

“I’m really excited to be here. Affordable housing, workforce housing is something that’s the biggest challenge for all of us as government officials,” Ige said. “I’m excited because there are two-, three-, four-bedroom homes that we know our community needs. This is the type of housing that our families have said that they’ve needed, and what’s a better, more spectacular place to be?

“It certainly has been a long time coming.”

State Rep. Angus McKelvey, whose district covers West Maui, Maalaea and Kihei, credited all the county, state and nonprofit agencies that worked together to make this “innovative idea and project” come to life.

“We are way overdue on affordable housing and I think I speak for everybody that our commitment is that this is just the beginning of trying to turn the tide of creating affording housing and rentals in perpetuity, not only for our native Hawaiian community, but for all of our working men and women and families in Maui County,” McKelvey said.

Overlooking the ocean and built on ceded lands, the property will be divided into three neighborhoods with gathering areas, playgrounds, two large community centers on-site with kitchens, tech centers, game rooms and lanai dining, on-site services and management, Bigley said.

Kahu Malihini Keahi-Heath conducts Tuesday morning’s blessing for the Kaiaulu o Kuku‘ia affordable apartment project in Lahaina. Officials in attendance included Gov. David Ige (front row, from right), Mayor Michael Victorino, Sen. Roz Baker, Ikaika Ohana President Doug Bigley, Council Member Tamara Paltin, Rep. Angus McKelvey. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Other site amenities include community gardens, walking paths, laundry facilities and additional parking.

Developers want to keep a theme that resembles Lahaina’s plantation style of architecture while also making sure that the infrastructure is sustainable and energy efficient to lower costs for residents, according to Ikaika Ohana.

An extension of Keawe Street would also be built to add access to the mauka side of the property.

Munekiyo Hiraga is the urban planning and project management consulting firm, while Goodfellow Bros. will be the general contractor.

The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., which owns the land, selected Ikaika Ohana’s proposal in 2019 and issued a 75-year ground lease in which the project will remain affordable throughout the term of the lease.

Gary Furuta (from left), owner of development partner GSF LLC; Michael Magaoay, president of Catholic Charities Housing Development Corp.; Gov. David Ige; Bishop Larry Silva; and Catholic Charities Hawaii President/CEO Robert Van Tassell untie a maile lei during a dedication ceremony for the 165-unit Kahului Lani senior affordable rental project, which was completed recently. Photo courtesy of Becker Communications/Catholic Charities Hawaii

Leasing information for future tenants is coming soon.

“They did have a little pushback, but ultimately the need is so great and the prices they offered were affordable and you know, they won me over, so I voted for this project. It got unanimous support,” said Council Member Tamara Paltin, who holds the West Maui residency seat. “I think about the kids and the opportunities they have to grow up here and move forward and hope that it’s mainly native Hawaiians that get these houses because it is ceded lands and encourage them all to apply.”

On Tuesday morning, Ige and other officials also participated in a dedication of the recently completed 165-unit Kahului Lani senior affordable housing project.

Catholic Charities Housing Development Corp. completed the 81-unit Phase 1 of the project in 2020 and the 84-unit Phase 2 of the project earlier this year. Tenants began moving into Phase 2 units in January. All are seniors ages 55 and older who earn 60 percent or less of the area median income.

Rents at Kahului Lani II would run from $642 to $1,284 a month depending on a household’s income, according to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. The units must remain affordable for a minimum of 61 years.

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.