More affordable housing options for seniors and families will soon be available on O‘ahu.
Koa Vista is a new two-phase development located within Koa Ridge, Castle & Cooke Hawai‘i's 576-acre master-planned community situated between Mililani and Waipio in Central O‘ahu, that will ultimately offer a total of 192 affordable senior and family rentals in two mid-rise buildings. The project was developed by the nonprofit Homes Hawai‘i Inc in partnership with GSF LLC.
A blessing and dedication was held Monday, March 17, for Koa Vista I, the completed first phase of the project — a $39 million, seven-story, 95-unit rental apartment building available to seniors who make between 30% and 60% of the annual median income.
A groundbreaking also was held Monday for the second phase, Koa Vista II, which will offer 97 affordable rentals to qualifying families.
According to an announcement Monday, tenant applications are being accepted for phase one and can be found online at hawaiiaffordable.com or picked up at 1050 Queen St., suite 304.
The tenant application notes that applicants must be at least 55 years old and the household's gross income limits, depending on the AMI and household size, range from $29,250 for a one-person household at 30% AMI to $75,180 for a three-person household at 60% AMI.
Gov. Josh Green told the audience gathered on Monday that building housing is a top priority, "because we have been losing people to the Mainland."
"We've been losing young people to the Mainland because they simply can't afford housing," he said. "Our kūpuna have been concerned about whether they can afford housing as we go forward. ... As we head toward 2035, that's when our population is expected to peak in age, and that means this is a very, very smart project to do.
"When we get older as a society, there are going to be people who are vulnerable, but we don't want our grandparents to have to leave, to not be near their grandchildren. That's why this is extraordinary."
Green says — as he has previously — that housing is health care.
"If people don't have a roof over their head, or they don't have stable housing, they suffer very greatly. ... So when you come to an event like this, where we have 95 one-bedrooms here at Koa Vista, that's 95 family units that are going to be healthier, that are going to be happier, that they're going to stay in society," he said. "It's extraordinary to see this. We want our kūpuna to age in place. We want them to really have a stable life. And I will tell you, when you go into these units, they are rock solid. They are very well constructed, and they are going to give a lot of people peace of mind and they're going to be able to do better in their life. So we're excited to see these units."
Catherine Taschner, director of the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Land Management, told the audience that housing — especially affordable housing — is a top priority for the administration of Mayor Rick Blangiardi, "and potentially the biggest challenge of our lifetime."
Taschner said that too many local families are being forced to leave the Islands because they can't find or afford housing that meets their needs.
"This isn't just a housing issue," she continued. "It's about keeping our workforce here. It's about strengthening our economy and it's about ensuring that future generations can continue to call Hawai‘i home. That's why projects like Koa Vista are so important. Together with Koa Vista II, these 192 much-needed affordable homes for kūpuna will allow them to age in place with dignity, while at the same time, giving local families the opportunity to stay here and thrive in the communities that they call home."
According to the announcement Monday, work on the first phase began in the summer of 2023 and was finished late last year, while construction of the second phase is currently underway and expected to be complete in 2026.
Developers said the units will come furnished with a refrigerator and range, cable and high-speed internet access, window coverings and laminated flooring, while shared amenities include a multi-purpose room, laundry and office space, a garden and park.
Wally Inglis, president of Homes Hawai‘i Inc., told Aloha State Daily following the ceremonies that "exhilarating" was the first word that came to his mind when asked how it felt to see the first phase completed and the second underway.
"There's so many moving parts to putting these things together and it takes so many people working together," he said.
Inglis says there's "tremendous" need for affordable housing for both seniors and families.
"There's a need for housing for everybody."
"We're very happy to finally see this project come to fruition," Andrew Furuta, project manager for GSF LLC, told ASD after the ceremonies. "It's a longtime in the works, but we couldn't have done it without partnership with the state and the city and our vendors and consultants."
The Koa Ridge development broke ground in 2017 and welcomed its first homeowners in 2020, its website notes. Approximately 3,500 new residential homes are planned for the development, along with shops and retailers, restaurants, parks and more, according to the developer.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
