The demonstration at Front Street Apartments took place in 2018, as tenants successfully rallied to fight an eviction. The state eventually bought the land, effectively halting the eviction. Courtesy photo

State housing officials are continuing to move forward with plans to rebuild affordable housing projects destroyed in the 2023 Lahaina wildfire.

The Kaiaulu O Kuuohi Affordable Housing project is scheduled to be completed by September, 2025, according to the state Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp.

The 89-unit Kaiaulu O Kuuohi project was constructed in 2022, but was destroyed in the wildfire.

Another project scheduled for completion is the Kaiaulu O Kukuia Permanent Affordable housing project.

The 200-unit permanent affordable rental housing project sustained minor damage.

About half of the units have been completed and began occupancy in December of 2024.

State housing officials said remaining units will be completed by March.

Front Street Apartments had some 250 tenant including families before
the 2023 Lahaina wildfire destroyed the structures. The state is moving
forward with a plan to rebuilt it and add more units to the inventory. The Maui News archive / Matt Thayer

Front Street Apartments had some 250 tenant including families before the 2023 Lahaina wildfire destroyed the structures. The state is moving forward with a plan to rebuilt it and add more units to the inventory. The Maui News archive / Matt Thayer

A major project is the proposed development of 200 affordable housing units on land formerly occupied by the 142-unit Front Street Affordable Housing project and Lahaina Surf, both destroyed in the wildfire.

The HHFDC board has authorized the Maui-based Hale Mahaolu to redevelop, operate and maintain the project. The target start date for construction for the first phase is December 2026 with completion by December 2028.

Hale Mahaolu owns the Lahaina Surf Apartments project immediately adjacent to the project site, which will also require redevelopment following the Maui wildfires.

The state said some 600 families found immediate housing through the Hawaii Fire Relief Housing Program, an operation that used a pool of 1,400 available properties offered on Maui and elsewhere.

State officials also purchased the former Maui Sun Hotel open Lipoa Street in Kihei, also known as the Haggai International Institute, featuring 175 furnished guest rooms.

HHFDC selected Paramount Hotels to operate the Lipoa Street facility as temporary housing for wildfire disaster survivors deemed ineligible for reimbursement by FEMA. The phased opening of the building’s guest rooms began in May 2024.

The state said the Lipoa Street property can accommodate an estimated 350 to 450 individuals.

Maui County is expected to lease and take possession of the Kihei property known as Hale O Laie in May.

Other state housing projects on Maui include the senior housing Liloa Hale in Kihei with 117 rental units scheduled for completion in March 2026, the Kahului Civic Center Mixed Use project to be completed in 2031, the 223-unit Hale O Piikea in Kihei with a completion date in the fourth quarter of 2025 and the 178 family residential units at Hale Pilina Family I with occupancy expected in early 2027.