Maui County Hopes To Provide Housing For Seniors, Even A Few Units At A Time
The county is in the process of purchasing two units from a longtime Lahaina couple.
Maui County is buying two condo units in Kaanapali to create more affordable housing options for kupuna displaced by the Aug. 8 wildfires that destroyed most of Lahaina and parts of Upcountry.
A Maui County Council committee approved the idea last week, one of the last steps before the county can purchase the 530-square-foot units at Maui Lani Terraces for $890,000 plus closing costs.
The one-bedroom, one-bathroom units are being sold by Pia and Thomas Scott, who runs a painting and roofing contracting company on Maui.
Council members had high praise for the work by members of Mayor Richard Bissen鈥檚 administration to identify and purchase the units.
Patience Kahula, the county鈥檚 Community Development Block Grant program director, said the application process will open soon and plans are to have people moving in by July 1.
These would be the sixth and seventh properties the county has purchased with CDBG funds.
She said the Scotts gave the county the exclusive opportunity to buy their units for this purpose.
The Scotts declined to comment for this story.
Council member Tamara Paltin, who represents West Maui, said she wanted to ensure the units would be kept affordable in perpetuity. Kahula assured her they would be.
In response to a question from council member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Kahula said the homeowners association fees for each unit are $630 per month.
Kahula said the fees are a bit higher in resort areas, whereas other properties purchased with CDBG funds like Parkview Square in Wailuku has HOA fees of $219 a month.
The Community Development Block Grant program is a division of the mayor鈥檚 office. It administers the CDBG funds allocated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The mayor proposed a $1.8 million budget for the CDBG program for fiscal 2025, which starts July 1, slightly less than the past two fiscal years.
The CDBG office reprogrammed after the fires so it could put any available funds toward long-term recovery efforts.
Property records show a trust owned by the Scotts purchased one of the condo units in 2013 for $130,000. It was assessed this year at $446,000 and is being sold to the county for $430,000.
Records show the Scotts’ trust bought the other unit in 2016 for $182,000. It was assessed this year at $446,900, and is being sold to the county for $460,000.
The administration did not respond to an interview request to answer questions about the program.
With the approval last week by the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee, chaired by council member Yuki Lei Sugimura, the approving the purchase of the two condo units now go for a vote by the full council.
Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.
