Breaking News Alerts

We'd like to send you alerts when breaking news happens. Hide this Message

Press "Allow" to Activate

Search
Aloha, !
My Profile | Logout
Aloha, Guest!
Login | Register
  • News Topics
    • Front Page
    • Maui News
    • 2022 Election
    • Business
    • Food & Dining
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Real Estate
    • Crime Statistics
    • Local Sports
  • Weather & Surf
    • Weather Forecast
    • Surf Report
  • Lifestyle & Culture
    • Maui Arts & Entertainment
    • Food and Dining
    • On the Menu
    • Real Estate
    • Obituaries
    • Visitors’ Guide
  • Opinion
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Maui Discussion
    • Reader Survey
  • Events Calendar
    • Upcoming Maui Events
    • Map of Events
    • Post an Event
  • Job Listings
    • Maui Jobs
    • Recent Job Listings
    • Job Alerts
    • Post a Job
  • Special Sections
    • IMUA Discovery Garden
    • Medical Minute
  • Video
    • Latest Maui Videos
  • × Close Menu
  • About Maui Now
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Information
  • Get the App
  • Advertising
  • Meet the Team
Choose Your Island:
  • Kauai
  • Maui
  • Big Island
Copyright © 2023 Pacific Media Group
All Rights Reserved

Privacy Policy | About Our Ads

Maui Now
Search
Aloha, !
My Profile | Logout
Aloha, Guest!
Login | Register
    Maui Now
  • Sections
  • Maui News
  • Business
  • Weather
  • Entertainment
  • Events Calendar
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion

Real Estate

Tenants forced out of Lahaina Crossroads Apartments; rent nearly doubling

By Kehaulani Cerizo
June 11, 2022, 6:00 AM HST
* Updated June 14, 9:19 AM
Play
Listen to this Article
4 minutes
Loading Audio... Article will play after ad...
Playing in :00
A
A
A

Katherine (left) and Aaron Kamaunu are being forced to leave their home by June 30, according to a letter from Kokua Realty LLC. The couple and other tenants are not sure where they will go. PC: Kehaulani Cerizo
Lahaina Crossroads Apartments tenant and Maui native Freeman Tam Lung, 79, said heʻs not sure what will happen next but he hopes he does not end up homeless. PC: Kehaulani Cerizo
Lahaina Crossroads Apartments at 767 Luakini St., Lahaina, is giving tenants a notice to vacate and will nearly double rent, according to tenants. PC: Kehaulani Cerizo

6/14/22 UPDATE: Lahaina Crossroads Apartments was sold by Honolulu-based 1515 South King LLC to Mousa Hassan and Jubran Mousa Jobran, trustees of the Atef M. Hassan and Khetam M. Hassan Trust, on April 27, 2022, according to a deed of trust. A tenant’s May rent payment went to 1515 South King LLC via Kokua Realty rental portal, a receipt shows.

6/11/22 UPDATE: According to a deed of trust, 1515 South King LLC was no longer the owner of the property as of April 27, 2022, despite county property tax records that list the entity as the current owners. Maui Now is attempting to locate the existing Lahaina Crossroads Apartment owners.

—

Katherine Kamaunu, 71, has lived at Lahaina Crossroads Apartments for more than 35 years.  

Now, she and her husband, Aaron Kamaunu, 60, are being forced out of the complex, along with nearly 20 other families — a handful of whom are kūpuna on fixed incomes.  

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

“To have my life ripped out from under me is not what I planned,” she said.  

The Kamaunus and other tenants said Lahaina Crossroads Apartments ownership is kicking them out to renovate — then charge nearly double the rent. After all, units are located a couple blocks mauka of Front Street and outsiders are paying outrageous prices to live in Hawaiʻi, they said. 

“My husband is Hawaiian for Christ’s sake, and he can’t even live on this island. People are greedy, money hungry.” 

KATHERINE KAMAUNU, LAHAINA RESIDENT

The 767 Luakini St. complex is managed by Kokua Realty LLC, which sent a letter to the Kamaunus, saying they have until June 30 to vacate.  

Rent will go from about $1,220 to $2,200 for a one bedroom in the 20-unit apartment building, which has some two-bedroom units, tenants said. The Kamaunus live on the fourth story, and phased renovations will force people out floor by floor. 

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

With low housing inventory on the west side, retirees, nurses, teachers, service industry workers and others at Lahaina Crossroads are left scrambling for places.  

Freeman Tam Lung, 79, said he’s been living at Lahaina Crossroads for nearly 20 years and he doesn’t know what he will do next.  

“I gotta go homeless then,” said Tam Lung.  

He said he could try and move to Kentucky where his son lives, but he wants to stay in Lahaina, where he is from.  

“I was born here — I want to be buried here,” said Tam Lung, a Native Hawaiian. 

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Another tenant, Steven K. Scott, 68, who has lived in the complex for 14 years, said Maui’s housing crisis is displacing elderly people. 

“Being evicted so they can renovate it and then move it to $2,200, $2,250 — we can’t afford that, we just can’t afford that,” he said. 

Aaron Kamaunu, who served in the US military and in Maui Police Department, is now working as a caretaker to make ends meet. He broke his shoulder recently, so his wife helps him at various jobs.  

He said he feels pushed out of Maui and asked why local politicians haven’t done more to address the housing crisis on an island with limited resources. 

“It’s crazy — there’s nothing I can do,” he said. “This is what Hawaiʻi is. It’s all about tourism. Yeah, I’m pissed, I’m sad, I’m frustrated – but that’s business.” 

His wife, Katherine Kamaunu, said she’s been crying all the time. 

“My husband is Hawaiian for Christ’s sake, and he can’t even live on this island,” she said. “People are greedy, money hungry.” 

On Friday, Stan Franco, president of Stand Up Maui, a nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing, said the Lahaina Crossroads Apartments situation is “very distressing.” 

“Everybody is talking about creating affordable housing, and here is a real situation: What can we do to save this? What can we do so local people can stay in their homes?” he asked. 

“We cannot take inventory out and not add any inventory. It doesn’t make sense. It’s just compounding the problem for local residents,” Franco added. “To me, it’s just crazy.” 

A report from the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization released last month said that rent prices spiked over the first few months this year, with Maui seeing a 41% surge in asking prices compared with the same time last year. 

In March 2021, the median-priced Craigslist posting for a rental unit on Maui was $1,850, while in March 2022 it had risen to $2,600, according to rental postings on Craigslist, which may not be representative of the overall market, UHERO said. 

Thaddeus Marckesano, Kokua Realty residential property manager for Lahaina Crossroads Apartments, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.  

Kehaulani Cerizo
Kehaulani Cerizo was born and raised on Maui and worked for nearly 15 years as a news reporter, copy editor and features editor at daily newspapers. She earned awards at The Maui News in Wailuku and at Today’s Local News in San Diego.
Read Full Bio
Maui Jobs View All Jobs Chevron Forward

Hale Makua
Registered Nurse
Central Maui · 10 hours ago

Maui Health
Hospital Aide/ Nursing Assistant - Kula Hospital
Upcountry Maui · 2 weeks ago

Maui Country Club
Summer Camp Volunteers
North Shore · 2 weeks ago

Ohana Care Maui
Nurse Aides & CNAs - Full-time & Part-time!
Central Maui · 2 weeks ago
Looking for locally based talent?
Post a Job Listing

Sponsored Content

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay in-the-know with daily or weekly
headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Cancel
×

Related Articles

  • Tenants at Lahaina Front Street Apartments Celebrate…
    August 16, 2020
  • Maui mayor, council move to acquire Lahaina…
    September 14, 2022
  • County acquisition of Lahaina Crossroads Apartments is final
    December 16, 2022
  • 13,690 Hawaiʻi Households Received Nearly $60…
    January 22, 2021
  • Owners give Lahaina tenants more time; rally…
    June 27, 2022
  • UH Study: Doubling Tropical Cyclone Risk to Hawai‘i…
    December 22, 2020
Make the most of your Maui vacation with these top-rated activities: Maui Top 20: Maui Visitor & Tourism Information

Comments

This comments section is a public community forum for the purpose of free expression. Although Maui Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. Please view at your own discretion. View Comments
View All Events: List Circle List Map
UPCOMING FEATURED EVENTS:
Add Post an Event More Events Chevron Forward
Trending Now
124 People Cited At Kaʻena Point State Park Most For Access During Off Hours 2Rep Tokuda Congratulates Hawaiʻi Born American Idol Winner Iam Tongi 3Damage To Be Assessed After Moorings Were Placed On Coral During Hawaiʻi Island Canoe Regatta 4Friends Of Haleakala National Park Seeks Volunteers For 2 Night Service Trip June 10 12 5Visitors Urged To Avoid Individual Trips To East Maui Slope Stabilization Expected To Start Soon 6List Maui Lane Closures Through June 2 2023
Arrow UpBack to Top
  • Maui News
  • Maui Business
  • Weather
  • Entertainment
  • Maui Surf
  • Maui Sports
  • COVID-19 Updates
  • Crime Statistics
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Maui Activities
  • Maui Discussion
  • Food and Dining
  • Real Estate
  • Events
  • What’s Open
  • Maui Jobs
  • About Maui Now
  • Contact Information
  • About Our Ads
  • App
  • Newsletter
  • Terms of Service

Copyright © 2023. Pacific Media Group.
All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | About Our Ads

Facebook YouTube Twitter Instagram