Nonprofit to develop Kahului project with 300 housing units | News, Sports, Jobs

A rendering shows what the 303-unit housing complex planned for the future Kahului Civic Center will look like along Kaahumanu Avenue across from the Maui Beach Hotel. Renderings courtesy EAH Housing

A nonprofit developer has been chosen to spearhead a mixed-use project in Kahului that will include 303 affordable housing units.

The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation selected EAH Housing, which has offices in California and Hawaii, as the master developer for the $192 million Kahului Civic Center Mixed-Use Complex, which will include a transit hub, civic center and affordable housing complex.

The project is expected to break ground in 2027, with the first phase anticipated to be completed by 2029, according to a news release last week announcing EAH Housing’s selection. The site is located on a vacant parcel along Kaahumanu Avenue across the street from the Maui Beach Hotel.

“We are thrilled to be moving forward on this much-needed housing community in Kahului,” EAH Housing CEO Laura Hall said in the news release. “Maui is one of the country’s most constricted markets, and the EAH Housing team is proud to lend a hand and move forward our mission of providing high-quality, affordable housing opportunities to those most in need.”

A future 303-unit, multistory housing complex in Kahului is shown in this rendering.

The project will be a public-private partnership, with EAH Housing coordinating the development of the civic center with the state Department of Accounting and General Services, the transit hub with Maui County and the affordable housing with HHFDC.

In addition to the housing units, project plans call for a 66,000-square-foot civic center with about 38,000 to 43,000 square feet of state office space, 16,000 square feet for the new Kahului Public Library and 7,000 square feet for the state Department of Education’s McKinley Community School for Adults, as well as potentially 5,000 square feet of commercial space, according to an HHFDC presentation.

The multistory housing complex will provide affordable and workforce units of one, two and three bedrooms for individuals and families earning between 30 and 60 percent of the area median income, the news release said. Each unit will feature modern amenities, including kitchens with energy-efficient appliances, high-speed internet and cable availability, ceiling fans and large windows.

Each of the two residential buildings will feature a fitness room, central laundry facilities, community rooms for social and educational events and an outdoor recreation deck.

There will also be 320 parking stalls, paved pedestrian paths connecting the site to the larger neighborhood and proximity to the neighboring transit hub with access to public transportation.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, 41,207, or nearly one-quarter of Hawaii’s rental households, report incomes at or below the national poverty guidelines — or 30 percent of their area median income — and thus are considered “extremely low income.” The state has a deficit of 27,014 rental units for extremely low-income renters, the report said.

“As we continually work to find innovative solutions to the affordable housing crisis in Hawai’i, commitments to developing housing for our most-vulnerable residents are sorely needed and warmly welcomed,” Gov. Josh Green said in the news release. “I look forward to the positive difference this project will make for residents on Maui, and I commend EAH Housing for its commitment to making Maui a more affordable and vibrant place to live.”

For more information about the project and EAH Housing, visit www.eahhousing.org.

A rendering shows what the 303-unit housing complex planned for the future Kahului Civic Center will look like along Kaahumanu Avenue across from the Maui Beach Hotel. Renderings courtesy EAH Housing A future 303-unit, multistory housing complex in Kahului is shown in this rendering.

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