Groundbreaking for Pua Loke
LIHU‘E – The County Housing Agency, in partnership with Ahe Group, held a groundbreaking for the Pua Loke Affordable Housing Project in Lihu‘e last week attended by eight individuals exercising social-distancing procedures and wearing masks.
“This 54-unit workforce-housing project combines the goals of the housing agency and the General Plan, built in our primary town core with existing physical infrastructure of water, sewer and transportation, as well as the social infrastructure of nearby health-care, social services, schools and employment opportunities,” said Mayor Derek Kawakami.
The $27.5-million project will consist of three residential buildings containing one- to three-bedroom rental units. Construction is slated to begin before the end of this month. Ahe Group is spearheading the building and operating the project under a long-term ground-lease agreement, after which the project reverts to county ownership.
“This project was made possible by a combination of federal housing funds, county affordable-development funds, low-income housing tax credits and private financing,” said CHA Director Adam Roversi. “It is a prime example of the county leveraging limited available government funding to make truly affordable housing possible.”
It should be a medical facility to handle Covid-19 cases, so that Kauai can recover its economy.
Covid-19 mitigation as it is (shut-down) in Hawaii will provide plenty of affordable housing because that mitigation has destroyed the economy. The problem is, the local economy won’t enable residents to purchase those properties. Meanwhile, wealthy mainlanders will be able to purchase their second homes, their vacation homes as properties are unloaded by their previous owners. Is this what the governor and mayor intended?
At best, affordable housing projects are nothing but a political form of virtue signaling. At worst, straight away political socialist initiatives.