I am writing in opposition to Bill 28 (2024) due to the following concerns:
1. The land parcel sits on land that native Hawaiian’s are disputing legal title to as well as contains known burial sites.
2. Overcapacity of Waihe’e elementary school.
3. Lack of infrastructure such as no sidewalks are being built on Kahekili Highway and Waiehu Beach Roads, the current lack of capacity for sewer lines,
4. Current lack of enough water for units.
5. Contamination of the known water table & aquifers near the site as well as toxic chemical run off to the nearby ocean and reef system.
6. Removal of productive food crops to provide urbanization.
7. Closure of roads due to flooding during mild rain storms.
The MEO and the county are NOT providing any additional infrastructure to alleviate these serious problems and protect residents.
I oppose this bill/project. I'm born and raised in Waiehu & to see the road on Kahekili Hwy & Waiehu Beach road when it rains in dangerous. Water floods the roads and brings along debri . The traffic & car congestion is already a problem and the community doesn't need another housing development right there. Keep the land for agriculture. #keep the country country!
I have lived along Kahekiili Highway in the Waiehu Heights Subdivision for over forty years. I live along the gulch that will be on the backside of this development. I have seen the water forcibly moving down the gulch and then backing up by the culvert that is under Waiehu Beach Road. This has continuosly happened every time there is heavy rains! Water also backs up under the culvert on Kahekili Highway. Then the road closes for debri cleaning. The gulch has been getting deeper and deeper over the years, and will continue to get deeper, with more rains, with our unstable weather.
A development with limited parking for residents and guests is a concern, Will they park on Kahekili Hwy? Traffic is horrendous before school and after work. You say a traffic study showed no problem with additional cars, I say you're wrong!
This development is in the wrong location. The district school is over populated. There are no stores in walking distance. No parks allocated for this project. Where is the open space for them. Waihee and Waiehu parks are for their communities. You are building a clubhouse in this development, where are all those guest going to park?
You have the wrong development in the wrong place. This should be built in an urban area next to schools, parks and stores. An area that can handle the growth.
We need to hang on to our agricultural lands and stop turning them into housing developments. We need ag lands, we need to work these lands and start working to grow our own food and feed the people of Maui.
PLEASE vote NO!! on this development. Mahalo, Rene Long
I feel the land that Hale Makua is developing should be zoned/stay Agriculture. There are other areas that are more suitable for housing.
Also the area is prone to flooding and back up of traffic during rush hour. The Hale Makua project will add to the stress of our infrastructure.
This area is not suitable for more traffic at 6.30 am backed up over a mile. Egress out closes due to fires, flooding and traffic accidents and the shoulders cannot accommodate emergency services which makes additional traffic a high risk For more Lahaina scenarios. No more dumped housing without full eps please!!!!
Aloha HLU Committee,
My name is Jeb Kaneshiro and I am born and raised in Hawaii and a longtime resident of Maui. I am in support of Bill 28. I have been on the side of trying to find an affordable rental before (it’s not easy). Rentals are scares and the prices for rentals that are available are hard to afford for most residents. This project targets the biggest population of Maui residences that are in desperate need of affordable rentals more so now after the wildfire disaster in Lahaina and Kula. This is a big step in the right direction to give local families the opportunity to stay here on Maui. It is a blessing to have Organizations like MEO and Hale Mahaolu that give the families of Maui opportunities to call Maui home. Not only will this project give local families a place to live, but it will also provide a job for families to make a living. Mahalo for your time and consideration
Aloha my name is Ray Shimabuku, a lifelong resident of Maui County.
I am in support of the Hale Mahaolu Ke Kahua Affordable Housing Community in Waiehu. This particular project addresses the need for affordable housing here on Maui. Thanks to organizations like the Maui Economic Opportunity and Hale Mahaolu that are able to provide services for the people of Maui.
Affordable housing has always been in demand, more so now after the disastrous fire in Lahaina. So many families lost their homes, and are now in search of a place to live and call home.
Please grant the District Boundary Amendment from Agriculture to Urban for this much needed housing project..
Mahalo!
Yes, we need affordable housing. But once gone, good ag land will be gone forever. Urbanization also threatens our water supply by causing more run-off and the aquifer in Iao Valley is vital to our survival here on Maui. Houses without protecting our water will be fatal to life here. Please keep Waiehu in ag and let's use this vital resource to feed our island people. I have lived in the Waiehu area for nearly 40 years and my husband was born and raised on Maui. We feel we can speak for the 'āina. Please protect it.
Maui needs affordable housing for its Kanaka and local families that have lived here for generations and have contributed to the county; the county DOES NOT need to provide affordable housing to the billions of people that want to move here to live in Maui to escape their problems and make their problems the county taxpayers problems. From what I can see from quite a few of the positive comments for this project from the guest users who do not want to show their real names and where they live because they most likely do not live in this agricultural area and their comments do not address the utter lack of planning this project will impose on this agricultural area and current residents. This project is more suitable in the central Valley of Maui where there are roads, sewage, water, multiple parks, schools and already urban zoned lands. The MEO can easily swap this parcel out for another central parcel where the following list of issues with this parcel would provide less impact to the surrounding area:
The land parcel sits on land that native Hawaiians are disputing legal title. Please do not be on the wrong side of US History by harming our native Kanaka’s and their ancestral lands they have claim to.
This land contains known burial sites.
The area school is currently and has been at overcapacity, Waihe’e elementary school.
This project lacks infrastructure such as sidewalks that should be but are not going to be built on Kahekili Highway and Waiehu Beach Roads.
The location and area are known to have a current lack of capacity for sewer lines, lack of enough water for units and contamination of the known water table & aquifers near the site. The additional use of water will generate toxic chemical run-off to the nearby ocean and reef system, which is already fragile.
The site will remove productive food crops to provide urbanization, increase heat and pollution to the environment.
The exact site location is known for the closure of roads due to flooding during mild rainstorms. The MEO and County are not adding any additional drainage lines or flood control channels to alleviate this dangerous condition while increasing the amount of traffic and density in the area and protecting not only the current residents but also the new residents.
Please, I am asking you to contract urban planners, who can smartly identify proper areas to build additional housing without jeopardizing lives and destroy current highly productive ag lands with 9” of pristine topsoil found in very few areas of Maui.
Dear Housing and Land Use Committee,
My family strongly supports Bill 28 which amends the State Land Use District Classification from Agricultural to Urban for property situated at Wailuku, Hawai‘i Tax Map Key (2) 3-3-001:106.
This is a positive step in addressing the housing crisis on Maui. Locals need to feel that home ownership is within reach otherwise they will continue to leave, changing this islands beautiful culture.
We need more projects like this.
AARP Hawai‘i strongly supports Bill 28 which amends the State Land Use District Classification from Agricultural to Urban for property situated at Wailuku, Maui, Hawai‘i Tax Map Key (2) 3-3-001:106
This measure helps the development of more affordable homes as proposed by the Hale Mahaolu Ke Kahua Project for Maui’s residents. This greatly needed project will potentially house more than 300 individuals. The acute housing shortage and the high cost of living are particularly challenging for those at low or fixed income and increase their vulnerability of becoming dependent on other family members for shelter, or face homelessness. AARP is keenly concerned about Hawai‘i’s older residents. According to AARP/Statista analysis, close to 970 older adults (age 55+) are expected to be evicted in 2024 and more than 1500 older (55+) may experience homelessness in Hawai‘i this year. This projection does not include Maui's older residents already displaced by last year’s fire. More than ever, there is an urgency to develop more projects such as the Ke Kahua proposal so that our kūpuna can afford to live independently, as well as keep younger local families in Maui. They are Maui’s current and future workforce, and family caregivers.
AARP Hawai‘i strongly supports Bill 28 which amends the State Land Use District Classification from Agricultural to Urban for property situated at Wailuku, Maui, Hawai‘i Tax Map Key (2) 3-3-001:106
This measure helps the development of more affordable homes as proposed by the Hale Mahaolu Ke Kahua Project for Maui’s residents. This greatly needed project will potentially house more than 300 individuals. The acute housing shortage and the high cost of living are particularly challenging for those at low or fixed income and increase their vulnerability of becoming dependent on other family members for shelter, or face homelessness. AARP is keenly concerned about Hawai‘i’s older residents. According to AARP/Statista analysis, close to 970 older adults (age 55+) are expected to be evicted in 2024 and more than 1500 older (55+) may experience homelessness in Hawai‘i this year. This projection does not include Maui's older residents already displaced by last year’s fire. More than ever, there is an urgency to develop more projects such as the Ke Kahua proposal so that our kūpuna can afford to live independently, as well as keep younger local families in Maui. They are Maui’s current and future workforce, and family caregivers.
I fully support Bill 28. I think it is wonderful that my family and friends that live on Maui will have a truly affordable housing project to help address that critical need. It is sad to see how costly housing needs are, please help the partners in this project to continue to move forward in providing this much needed housing project.
Every resident likely believes their morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic is the worst - South Kihei Road, Old Haleakala Highway, Hana Highway in Paia. I think my drive from Waikapu along Honoapiilani Highway to Kuikahi Drive to Waiale Road to work in Wailuku during morning rush hour is pretty bad. It could take 20-25 minutes to drive 3 miles if I miss the window.
And it is only going to get worse with the 324-unit Kaulana Mahina project, across Foodland, the 161-lot Puunani Hawaiian Homes homestead, mauka of Honoapiilani Highway, and the 212-unit Aikanaha project near the Maui Tropical Plantation in the works - without major improvements to the Kuikahi-Waiale corridor.
The council and mayor gave the green light and their support to these affordable housing projects - accepting the traffic woes - because of the desperate need for more workforce housing. (I’d like to point out that only 60% of the Kaulana Mahina units are affordable, compared to the 100% for Ke Kahua).
As a resident born and raised here, I just don’t know how the younger generation can afford housing. For them and others, I am willing to wake up a little earlier to get to work. We live in a community of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and this is not the time to be NIMBY or selfish.
Many say “I am for affordable housing . . . But not this one.” In most cases, the public does not get to choose where projects are going to be developed for assorted reasons. Each affordable housing project really is an “opportunity.”
With 120-units of affordable rentals, which could be built sooner than later and rents as low as $560 a month for the lowest income individuals, I say we should grab this opportunity.
Every resident likely believes their morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic is the worst - South Kihei Road, Old Haleakala Highway, Hana Highway in Paia. I think my drive from Waikapu along Honoapiilani Highway to Kuikahi Drive to Waiale Road to work in Wailuku during morning rush hour is pretty bad. It could take 20-25 minutes to drive 3 miles if I miss the window.
And it is only going to get worse with the 324-unit Kaulana Mahina project, across Foodland, the 161-lot Puunani Hawaiian Homes homestead, mauka of Honoapiilani Highway, and the 212-unit Aikanaha project near the Maui Tropical Plantation in the works - without major improvements to the Kuikahi-Waiale corridor.
The council and mayor gave the green light and their support to these affordable housing projects - accepting the traffic woes - because of the desperate need for more workforce housing. (I’d like to point out that only 60% of the Kaulana Mahina units are affordable, compared to the 100% for Ke Kahua).
As a resident born and raised here, I just don’t know how the younger generation can afford housing. For them and others, I am willing to wake up a little earlier to get to work. We live in a community of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and this is not the time to be NIMBY or selfish.
Many say “I am for affordable housing . . . But not this one.” In most cases, the public does not get to choose where projects are going to be developed for assorted reasons. Each affordable housing project really is an “opportunity.”
With 120-units of affordable rentals, which could be built sooner than later and rents as low as $560 a month for the lowest income individuals, I say we should grab this opportunity.
This is Thelma Akita-Kealoha asking for your support of Bill 28. This project will be able to house around 300 individuals at 60% and below AMI. This is the group that is in the highest need right now. Allowing this project to be built will help with our current housing situation. Due to the fires, people are living in hotels, STRs and other are being displaced due to contracts with FEMA to use their rentals for survivors who are in need and we have people who were definitely impacted by the fires and lost work but because they were not living in the impacted areas they are not getting the financial assistance they need to survive and maintain rent.
I'm the President at Maui United Way, reaching out to support the Waiehu affordable housing project, a crucial partnership between MEO, Hale Mahaolu, and Highbridge Costa. This project isn't just about buildings; it's about providing a stable, affordable home for our hardworking community members in the ALICE demographic—those who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
In Maui, where the cost of living keeps climbing, this project is a lifeline. It offers hope and stability for those juggling to pay for essentials on a tight budget. Affordable housing is the foundation for healthier families, better education, and a stronger, more resilient community.
Thanks for considering this call to action. Together, we can build a more inclusive and supportive Maui County.
Maui had a shortage of housing crisis well before the Lahaina and Kula fire. Any means to bridge the gap between houselessness and affordable housing means that we give our community members somewhere to call home. This project means everything to people who have almost nothing. Changing the zoning from Ag to Urban would mean that this project could finally move forward. We shouldn’t wait to support projects like this because we can’t afford to lose anymore locals to the mainland because they can’t find housing. Please join me and my family in supporting this bill and help us build a place for our community to gather and call home. Mahalo for your time and support.
I am writing in opposition to Bill 28 (2024) due to the following concerns:
1. The land parcel sits on land that native Hawaiian’s are disputing legal title to as well as contains known burial sites.
2. Overcapacity of Waihe’e elementary school.
3. Lack of infrastructure such as no sidewalks are being built on Kahekili Highway and Waiehu Beach Roads, the current lack of capacity for sewer lines,
4. Current lack of enough water for units.
5. Contamination of the known water table & aquifers near the site as well as toxic chemical run off to the nearby ocean and reef system.
6. Removal of productive food crops to provide urbanization.
7. Closure of roads due to flooding during mild rain storms.
The MEO and the county are NOT providing any additional infrastructure to alleviate these serious problems and protect residents.
Thank you for your attention and consideration.
Joy Kaaz
Maui Resident
I oppose this bill/project. I'm born and raised in Waiehu & to see the road on Kahekili Hwy & Waiehu Beach road when it rains in dangerous. Water floods the roads and brings along debri . The traffic & car congestion is already a problem and the community doesn't need another housing development right there. Keep the land for agriculture. #keep the country country!
I have lived along Kahekiili Highway in the Waiehu Heights Subdivision for over forty years. I live along the gulch that will be on the backside of this development. I have seen the water forcibly moving down the gulch and then backing up by the culvert that is under Waiehu Beach Road. This has continuosly happened every time there is heavy rains! Water also backs up under the culvert on Kahekili Highway. Then the road closes for debri cleaning. The gulch has been getting deeper and deeper over the years, and will continue to get deeper, with more rains, with our unstable weather.
A development with limited parking for residents and guests is a concern, Will they park on Kahekili Hwy? Traffic is horrendous before school and after work. You say a traffic study showed no problem with additional cars, I say you're wrong!
This development is in the wrong location. The district school is over populated. There are no stores in walking distance. No parks allocated for this project. Where is the open space for them. Waihee and Waiehu parks are for their communities. You are building a clubhouse in this development, where are all those guest going to park?
You have the wrong development in the wrong place. This should be built in an urban area next to schools, parks and stores. An area that can handle the growth.
We need to hang on to our agricultural lands and stop turning them into housing developments. We need ag lands, we need to work these lands and start working to grow our own food and feed the people of Maui.
PLEASE vote NO!! on this development. Mahalo, Rene Long
I feel the land that Hale Makua is developing should be zoned/stay Agriculture. There are other areas that are more suitable for housing.
Also the area is prone to flooding and back up of traffic during rush hour. The Hale Makua project will add to the stress of our infrastructure.
This area is not suitable for more traffic at 6.30 am backed up over a mile. Egress out closes due to fires, flooding and traffic accidents and the shoulders cannot accommodate emergency services which makes additional traffic a high risk For more Lahaina scenarios. No more dumped housing without full eps please!!!!
Aloha HLU Committee,
My name is Jeb Kaneshiro and I am born and raised in Hawaii and a longtime resident of Maui. I am in support of Bill 28. I have been on the side of trying to find an affordable rental before (it’s not easy). Rentals are scares and the prices for rentals that are available are hard to afford for most residents. This project targets the biggest population of Maui residences that are in desperate need of affordable rentals more so now after the wildfire disaster in Lahaina and Kula. This is a big step in the right direction to give local families the opportunity to stay here on Maui. It is a blessing to have Organizations like MEO and Hale Mahaolu that give the families of Maui opportunities to call Maui home. Not only will this project give local families a place to live, but it will also provide a job for families to make a living. Mahalo for your time and consideration
Aloha my name is Ray Shimabuku, a lifelong resident of Maui County.
I am in support of the Hale Mahaolu Ke Kahua Affordable Housing Community in Waiehu. This particular project addresses the need for affordable housing here on Maui. Thanks to organizations like the Maui Economic Opportunity and Hale Mahaolu that are able to provide services for the people of Maui.
Affordable housing has always been in demand, more so now after the disastrous fire in Lahaina. So many families lost their homes, and are now in search of a place to live and call home.
Please grant the District Boundary Amendment from Agriculture to Urban for this much needed housing project..
Mahalo!
Yes, we need affordable housing. But once gone, good ag land will be gone forever. Urbanization also threatens our water supply by causing more run-off and the aquifer in Iao Valley is vital to our survival here on Maui. Houses without protecting our water will be fatal to life here. Please keep Waiehu in ag and let's use this vital resource to feed our island people. I have lived in the Waiehu area for nearly 40 years and my husband was born and raised on Maui. We feel we can speak for the 'āina. Please protect it.
It’s crowded enough
Maui needs affordable housing for its Kanaka and local families that have lived here for generations and have contributed to the county; the county DOES NOT need to provide affordable housing to the billions of people that want to move here to live in Maui to escape their problems and make their problems the county taxpayers problems. From what I can see from quite a few of the positive comments for this project from the guest users who do not want to show their real names and where they live because they most likely do not live in this agricultural area and their comments do not address the utter lack of planning this project will impose on this agricultural area and current residents. This project is more suitable in the central Valley of Maui where there are roads, sewage, water, multiple parks, schools and already urban zoned lands. The MEO can easily swap this parcel out for another central parcel where the following list of issues with this parcel would provide less impact to the surrounding area:
The land parcel sits on land that native Hawaiians are disputing legal title. Please do not be on the wrong side of US History by harming our native Kanaka’s and their ancestral lands they have claim to.
This land contains known burial sites.
The area school is currently and has been at overcapacity, Waihe’e elementary school.
This project lacks infrastructure such as sidewalks that should be but are not going to be built on Kahekili Highway and Waiehu Beach Roads.
The location and area are known to have a current lack of capacity for sewer lines, lack of enough water for units and contamination of the known water table & aquifers near the site. The additional use of water will generate toxic chemical run-off to the nearby ocean and reef system, which is already fragile.
The site will remove productive food crops to provide urbanization, increase heat and pollution to the environment.
The exact site location is known for the closure of roads due to flooding during mild rainstorms. The MEO and County are not adding any additional drainage lines or flood control channels to alleviate this dangerous condition while increasing the amount of traffic and density in the area and protecting not only the current residents but also the new residents.
Please, I am asking you to contract urban planners, who can smartly identify proper areas to build additional housing without jeopardizing lives and destroy current highly productive ag lands with 9” of pristine topsoil found in very few areas of Maui.
Dear Housing and Land Use Committee,
My family strongly supports Bill 28 which amends the State Land Use District Classification from Agricultural to Urban for property situated at Wailuku, Hawai‘i Tax Map Key (2) 3-3-001:106.
This is a positive step in addressing the housing crisis on Maui. Locals need to feel that home ownership is within reach otherwise they will continue to leave, changing this islands beautiful culture.
We need more projects like this.
Mahalo!
AARP Hawai‘i strongly supports Bill 28 which amends the State Land Use District Classification from Agricultural to Urban for property situated at Wailuku, Maui, Hawai‘i Tax Map Key (2) 3-3-001:106
This measure helps the development of more affordable homes as proposed by the Hale Mahaolu Ke Kahua Project for Maui’s residents. This greatly needed project will potentially house more than 300 individuals. The acute housing shortage and the high cost of living are particularly challenging for those at low or fixed income and increase their vulnerability of becoming dependent on other family members for shelter, or face homelessness. AARP is keenly concerned about Hawai‘i’s older residents. According to AARP/Statista analysis, close to 970 older adults (age 55+) are expected to be evicted in 2024 and more than 1500 older (55+) may experience homelessness in Hawai‘i this year. This projection does not include Maui's older residents already displaced by last year’s fire. More than ever, there is an urgency to develop more projects such as the Ke Kahua proposal so that our kūpuna can afford to live independently, as well as keep younger local families in Maui. They are Maui’s current and future workforce, and family caregivers.
AARP Hawai‘i strongly supports Bill 28 which amends the State Land Use District Classification from Agricultural to Urban for property situated at Wailuku, Maui, Hawai‘i Tax Map Key (2) 3-3-001:106
This measure helps the development of more affordable homes as proposed by the Hale Mahaolu Ke Kahua Project for Maui’s residents. This greatly needed project will potentially house more than 300 individuals. The acute housing shortage and the high cost of living are particularly challenging for those at low or fixed income and increase their vulnerability of becoming dependent on other family members for shelter, or face homelessness. AARP is keenly concerned about Hawai‘i’s older residents. According to AARP/Statista analysis, close to 970 older adults (age 55+) are expected to be evicted in 2024 and more than 1500 older (55+) may experience homelessness in Hawai‘i this year. This projection does not include Maui's older residents already displaced by last year’s fire. More than ever, there is an urgency to develop more projects such as the Ke Kahua proposal so that our kūpuna can afford to live independently, as well as keep younger local families in Maui. They are Maui’s current and future workforce, and family caregivers.
Dear Housing and Land Use Committee,
I fully support Bill 28. I think it is wonderful that my family and friends that live on Maui will have a truly affordable housing project to help address that critical need. It is sad to see how costly housing needs are, please help the partners in this project to continue to move forward in providing this much needed housing project.
Mahalo!
Every resident likely believes their morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic is the worst - South Kihei Road, Old Haleakala Highway, Hana Highway in Paia. I think my drive from Waikapu along Honoapiilani Highway to Kuikahi Drive to Waiale Road to work in Wailuku during morning rush hour is pretty bad. It could take 20-25 minutes to drive 3 miles if I miss the window.
And it is only going to get worse with the 324-unit Kaulana Mahina project, across Foodland, the 161-lot Puunani Hawaiian Homes homestead, mauka of Honoapiilani Highway, and the 212-unit Aikanaha project near the Maui Tropical Plantation in the works - without major improvements to the Kuikahi-Waiale corridor.
The council and mayor gave the green light and their support to these affordable housing projects - accepting the traffic woes - because of the desperate need for more workforce housing. (I’d like to point out that only 60% of the Kaulana Mahina units are affordable, compared to the 100% for Ke Kahua).
As a resident born and raised here, I just don’t know how the younger generation can afford housing. For them and others, I am willing to wake up a little earlier to get to work. We live in a community of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and this is not the time to be NIMBY or selfish.
Many say “I am for affordable housing . . . But not this one.” In most cases, the public does not get to choose where projects are going to be developed for assorted reasons. Each affordable housing project really is an “opportunity.”
With 120-units of affordable rentals, which could be built sooner than later and rents as low as $560 a month for the lowest income individuals, I say we should grab this opportunity.
Every resident likely believes their morning and afternoon rush-hour traffic is the worst - South Kihei Road, Old Haleakala Highway, Hana Highway in Paia. I think my drive from Waikapu along Honoapiilani Highway to Kuikahi Drive to Waiale Road to work in Wailuku during morning rush hour is pretty bad. It could take 20-25 minutes to drive 3 miles if I miss the window.
And it is only going to get worse with the 324-unit Kaulana Mahina project, across Foodland, the 161-lot Puunani Hawaiian Homes homestead, mauka of Honoapiilani Highway, and the 212-unit Aikanaha project near the Maui Tropical Plantation in the works - without major improvements to the Kuikahi-Waiale corridor.
The council and mayor gave the green light and their support to these affordable housing projects - accepting the traffic woes - because of the desperate need for more workforce housing. (I’d like to point out that only 60% of the Kaulana Mahina units are affordable, compared to the 100% for Ke Kahua).
As a resident born and raised here, I just don’t know how the younger generation can afford housing. For them and others, I am willing to wake up a little earlier to get to work. We live in a community of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances and this is not the time to be NIMBY or selfish.
Many say “I am for affordable housing . . . But not this one.” In most cases, the public does not get to choose where projects are going to be developed for assorted reasons. Each affordable housing project really is an “opportunity.”
With 120-units of affordable rentals, which could be built sooner than later and rents as low as $560 a month for the lowest income individuals, I say we should grab this opportunity.
This is Thelma Akita-Kealoha asking for your support of Bill 28. This project will be able to house around 300 individuals at 60% and below AMI. This is the group that is in the highest need right now. Allowing this project to be built will help with our current housing situation. Due to the fires, people are living in hotels, STRs and other are being displaced due to contracts with FEMA to use their rentals for survivors who are in need and we have people who were definitely impacted by the fires and lost work but because they were not living in the impacted areas they are not getting the financial assistance they need to survive and maintain rent.
I'm the President at Maui United Way, reaching out to support the Waiehu affordable housing project, a crucial partnership between MEO, Hale Mahaolu, and Highbridge Costa. This project isn't just about buildings; it's about providing a stable, affordable home for our hardworking community members in the ALICE demographic—those who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
In Maui, where the cost of living keeps climbing, this project is a lifeline. It offers hope and stability for those juggling to pay for essentials on a tight budget. Affordable housing is the foundation for healthier families, better education, and a stronger, more resilient community.
Thanks for considering this call to action. Together, we can build a more inclusive and supportive Maui County.
Maui had a shortage of housing crisis well before the Lahaina and Kula fire. Any means to bridge the gap between houselessness and affordable housing means that we give our community members somewhere to call home. This project means everything to people who have almost nothing. Changing the zoning from Ag to Urban would mean that this project could finally move forward. We shouldn’t wait to support projects like this because we can’t afford to lose anymore locals to the mainland because they can’t find housing. Please join me and my family in supporting this bill and help us build a place for our community to gather and call home. Mahalo for your time and support.