LIHU‘E — The Kaua‘i County Housing Agency, in partnership with the Ahe Group, held a blessing ceremony Monday for the completion of Ha‘upu View, the county’s newest workforce-housing complex on Pua Loke Street.
“This is how we are approaching housing here at the County of Kaua‘i,” said Mayor Derek Kawakami.
”What was formerly underutilized county land has now been brought back to life thanks to the many hands involved,” he said. “Mahalo to our housing agency, the Ahe Group, Hawai‘i Housing Finance &Development Corporation, EAH (Ecumenical Association for Housing) Housing, Kaua‘i County Council and state legislators, and everyone who had a hand in this important project which adds much-needed inventory to our housing here on Kaua‘i.
“We especially thank the families who are now living here, and our Pua Loke neighborhood, for embracing this new community. This is workforce housing at its finest.”
Monday’s blessing was performed by Kahu Sean Chun and attended by about 50 individuals, including members of the Kaua‘i County Council and state Reps. Nadine Nakamura and Dee Morikawa.
“On behalf of the entire Kaua‘i County Council, we want to say a huge congratulations and thank you to everyone for making this housing development a reality,” said Arryl Kaneshiro, Kaua‘i County Council chair.
“I was here two years ago for the groundbreaking during COVID, and as we were standing on a small patch of grass, I couldn’t imagine us fitting a housing project on this property, which was formerly an overflow parking lot that could barely fit two cars.
“But through the hard work of the administration, the team at Ahe Group and all involved, we were able to create housing right here in the heart of Lihu‘e with existing infrastructure, and health-care, social services, schools and employment opportunities nearby.”
The Ha‘upu View project included the new construction of three buildings, which houses 54 one- to three-bedroom rental units that have been fully occupied since the completion of each building.
Applicants were chosen through a lottery process, where they were required to submit historical information including rental history, income/asset verifications and more. Income requirements for this property are 30%, 50%, 60% and 100% of Kaua‘i’s area median income.
“This is our first project where we have dedicated units supporting the Housing First initiative, working closely with the Kaua‘i Community Alliance to house homeless and formerly homeless residents,” said Makani Maeva, president and CEO of the Ahe Group, which spearheaded the construction of and is operating the project under a long-term ground lease agreement, after which the project reverts to county ownership.
“The units here are a special mixture of low-income, transitional units up to 60% of the AMI, and also some at market rate. This property is really a good example of a full continuum of housing,” said Maeva.
“We have five units set aside for those who are formerly homeless, and are working in partnership with the county’s transitional housing facility across the street, Kealaula, to offer long-term, permanent, supportive housing. We are extremely happy to continue to build affordable housing on the Garden Island, and we couldn’t do it without the unparalleled support of the County of Kaua‘i,” Maeva said.
Construction of the $27-million project was made possible by a combination of federal housing funds, county affordable-development funds, low-income-housing tax credits and private financing.
Ha‘upu View commenced construction in May 2020, with the first building completed in Aug. 2021, the second in Sept. 2021, and the third completed in Nov. 2021.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 808-245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
