Housing & Real Estate

Two affordable housing projects on Maui–Kahului Lani Phase I in Kahului and Kaiwahine Village in Kīhei–opened amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis is driven by policies that limit affordable options and leave gaps for local families trying to stay housed. Real solutions require building more housing at every level, especially deeply affordable homes that create stability and prevent homelessness.

Catholic Charities Hawai’i earlier this week welcomed the first tenants of its new Kahului Lani senior affordable housing complex on Maui. The first phase of the 165-unit senior affordable rental complex is located along Kane Street across from the Kahului Foodland.

There are 81 units in the completed first phase. Another 83 units will be built in a second phase on the same property directly across the street from Foodland at the Queen Kaʻahumanu Center in Kahului. County officials say residents are expected to move in soon.

The County of Maui reminds residents that rental assistance may be available to those who have lost their job or have reduced income by more than 25% as a direct result of COVID-19.

The project is proposed on 6.943 acres located at South Kīhei Road and Kilohana Drive. The change is zoning request is from Open Zone to an R-1 Residential District.

Maui’s Lahaina/Kahului/Wailuku area (which was lumped into one district), was identified as the third most unaffordable small metro area for renters in the US (behind Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA at #1; and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA at #2).  

The Kulakane is an oceanfront resort with 42 units, located at 3741 Lower Honoapiʻilani Road on the border of the Honokōwai and Mahinahina neighborhoods, close the Honokōwai Farmer’s Market and shopping, just north of Kāʻanapali, about five miles north of Lahaina town.

This week two families received keys to their new home as part of Habitat for Humanity Maui’s affordable housing project in Lahaina. Both homes were completed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in a decrease of volunteers for the project.

April 2020 Maui Real Estate statistics are recorded and this Maui map is a breakdown of information for the first 4 months of 2020. (January 2020 – April 2020)

“In times of crisis and with so much uncertainty, it is truly a measure of a person that places others’ needs before self,” said 2019-20 RAM President Mike Trotto. “Our members demonstrate this commitment to the community each and every day by their unselfish acts of kindness and dedication to the people in need here in Maui.”

The property overlooks the Royal Kāʻanapali golf course, with sweeping views of the ocean and outer islands.  The low-rise, low-density development, lends a feeling of privacy and space, with 200 units on approximately 38 acres.

A sense of the slowdown in real estate activity during the month of April is apparent in the Sales vs. Pending graph from January 2019 through April 2020. There were only eight fewer recordings in April 2020, including all the escrows that canceled in mid-March. Only 39% of deals went pending for April 2020 vs. April 2019, for a total of 106 vs. 271.

Wailea Realty Corp. + Windermere Real Estate has donated $5,000 to the Maui Food Bank so it can continue to provide hunger relief to residents in need.

Team Vacation-Maui, a vacation condo rental sales and management team, has pledged more than $100,000 in free short-term accommodations to the front-line workers fighting against COVID-19.

Gov. David Ige signed a fifth emergency supplementary proclamation that includes an eviction moratorium — which prevents any eviction from a residential dwelling for failure to pay rent. Previously, all eviction proceedings and pending eviction orders were suspended with the closure of the Hawai‘i State Judiciary during the COVID-19 crisis.

The bill aims to require that 201H affordable housing projects submitted to the county must consist of a minimum of 75 percent of the total units for individuals and families within very low, low, low-moderate, and moderate-income households.

OHA is urging renters who have lost income and are having trouble making rent payments to reach out to their landlords and seek payment options that will allow for some relief during this time.

Maui County Councilmember Michael Molina transmitted a proposed resolution to the County Council requesting a comprehensive affordable housing plan.

Homeowners with federally-backed mortgages can delay payments for a year. Moratorium on evictions for most renters until July.

High season in Maui real estate has arrived, and according to a report from Fidelity National Title & Escrow, home and condominium sales have increased from last year.