Construction begins on 35-unit affordable rental project in Wailuku
Trending
Construction has begun on Kehalani Apartments, a 35-unit affordable rental housing project in Wailuku.
Developer Dowling Company, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen and other project partners marked the start of construction with a groundbreaking ceremony Monday.
"When a local family can't find a place they can afford, we risk losing them," Bissen said. "This project -- led by a trusted Maui company with support from the state and county -- answers the urgent need for housing that is within reach for local families."
The project will include one-, two- and three-bedroom units for households earning 60% or less of area median income. About one-third of the one-acre property will remain landscaped open space and serve as a community gathering area.
Kehalani Apartments will be located in the Kehalani master-planned community, which includes 2,400 homes, a 13-acre Maui County park, an elementary school and bicycle and pedestrian pathways on 540 acres at the base of the West Maui Mountains.
Attendees at the groundbreaking included state Sen. Troy Hashimoto, representatives of Maryl Group Construction Inc. and members of the project team. Maryl Group Construction is the project's general contractor.
"Kehalani Apartments fills an urgent need for more high-quality and attainable rental housing for Maui families, and we are proud to be part of the solution," said Jack Dowling, acquisitions director at Dowling Company.
Community members and project partners gather Monday for the groundbreaking of Kehalani Apartments, a 35-unit affordable rental housing project in Wailuku. Photo courtesy Dowling Company
Three units will be reserved for clients of Women Helping Women, a Maui nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence. The organization's Transitions program helps survivors who are unhoused or at risk find and retain permanent housing.
"We deeply appreciate the opportunity to partner with Dowling Company to make these units available to our clients in need of a safe space on their journey to permanent housing," said Sanoe Kaʻaihue, executive director of Women Helping Women. "Every unit like this means there is one less family choosing between an unsafe home and no home at all."
Construction is expected to be completed in January 2028.