Maui County Council approves 2 affordable housing projects

WAILUKU, Maui — The Maui County Council approved two new affordable housing projects on the southern side of the island.

The council voted in favor of the Liloa Hale Senior Rental Housing Project and the Hale Kaiola duplex project Friday.

Liloa Hale Senior Rental Housing Project plans to construct a three-story apartment building with 117 units.

The project is expected to include 101 one-bedroom apartments, five of which will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. There will also be 16 two-bedroom apartments, including one unit that is complaint with the ADA.

Seniors earning 60% and below the area median income, established by Department of Housing and Human Concerns guidelines, will be eligible to rent. For multifamily housing on Maui, that means an income of $58,500 and below.

The Hale Kaiola duplex is expected to have 40 affordable units. The project will include two- and three-bedroom apartments, ranging from 731 square feet (68 square meters) to 1,240 square feet (115 square meters), with prices ranging from $295,000 to $650,000.

Residents earning between 80% and 140% of the area median income will be eligible to apply. For multifamily housing, that would mean an income of $78,000 to $136,500.

Council Member Kelly King, who holds the council’s South Maui seat, said the projects are good examples of workforce housing gaining approval through the county, which has faced a long housing crisis and a cost of living that’s among the highest in the nation.

“I hope people when they come before us stop saying, ‘When are you ever going to get affordable housing done?’ Because we are getting affordable housing done,” King said.