A Final Environmental Assessment with a Finding of No Significant Impact determination was made for the Hale Pilina Family Affordable Rental Housing Project proposed for development in Kahului, Maui.
Catholic Charities Housing Development Corporation is proposing the development of the Hale Pilina Family Affordable Rental Housing Project on approximately 4.8 acres of vacant land at 150 on South Puʻunēnē Avenue, the former site of the Maui Swap Meet. Catholic Charities is currently in the process of acquiring the site from A&B Properties.
The State Historic Preservation Division provided information in the document noting that the current project area was historically an undeveloped property surrounded by the former Pāʻia camp locations and was the former site of the Kahului Athletic Association baseball field during the mid-1900s.
The FONSI notes that “what is currently the project site has never been developed beyond a public park space and overflow parking for the Maui County Fairgrounds and Racing Association, which took place across South Puʻunēnē Avenue.”
The Kahului Post Office will border one part of the north side of the property and the Salvation Army site and County of Maui Coach Spencer Shiraishi Memorial Pool will border part of the subject property on the west along Kaulawahine Street.
The project will include the development of four three-story multi-family residential buildings, an onsite park/open space area, a multi-purpose room for residents, laundry facilities, parking, bike racks and storage, and related improvements.
The proposed project will provide 108 one-bedroom units and 70 two-bedroom units for rent to families who earn 60% of less of the County’s HUD Area Median Income. In addition, one unit will be provided for a resident manager and Hale Mahaolu will provide onsite property management.
According to the document, access to the project will be provided by a new full access driveway along Kaulawahine Street and a new right-in/right-out driveway along South Pu‘unēnē Avenue. In addition to signage, design measures are being explored to restrict turn movements at the South Pu‘unēnē Avenue entrance to right-in and right-out only.
Proposed HUD income limits and rent levels are provided below:
According to the document, “Population and household growth have exceeded the development of new housing units, exacerbating the demand for housing and increasing housing costs.”
The document cites the “Hawai‘i Housing Planning Study, 2019” prepared for the State of Hawai‘i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, which estimates an effective demand for 2,260 family rental units affordable to households earning 60% or less of the County’s HUD Area Median Income by the year 2025 (SMS, 2019).
Meantime, the nonprofit community development organization, Hawaiian Community Assets, recently delivered a Comprehensive Affordable Housing Plan to the Maui County Council that provides a roadmap for building 5,000 affordable homes for local renters and homebuyers in the next five years.
The final EA for the project states the development will be constructed in two phases, with each phase expected to take 16 to 18 months to construct. The first phase of construction is estimated to begin in the first quarter of 2023, with the estimated cost of construction for both phases targeted at $85 million.
The full document is available for review here.
