Creating opportunities through hardships
By Tom Cook
Everyone agrees there is a need for additional housing on Maui.
The need is most urgent in the wildfire-impacted zones of Lahaina and Upcountry, where last year’s fires have taken our housing crisis into a housing catastrophe.
With 2,173 structures destroyed in last year’s tragedy, rebuilding multigenerational homes is top of mind.
A survey from the Hawaiʻi State Rural Health Association finds that 81 percent of fire survivors and 65 percent of county residents have had friends relocate from Maui, with 30 percent of fire survivors seeing family members leave. Furthermore, 45 percent of fire survivors are either “very seriously” or “somewhat seriously” considering leaving the island themselves.
Curbing this exodus of our friends and family members from the island means taking every possible action to ensure that we can continue to call the place we know as home—home. Where the government and its partners avoid obstruction, they can facilitate and empower a smooth and efficient process.
Even before the wildfires, Maui County had experienced an outmigration of our local families to the continental United States. The pace of housing construction should match the conditions that would allow our friends and family members to return home.
We are building for those who have lost their home. We are building for Maui County’s future and so our kama‘āina have a place to return to. We are building so that our friends and loved ones can stay home.
When we think about the wildfires, our youth who want to stay home and those who have left but want to return home, the answer is clear. We must be continually building for our local families.
As horrific as the wildfires were, we have a rare opportunity to build back better.
During this council term, several housing projects were approved and are now underway, including:
- 223 affordable housing units at Hale O Pi‘ikea in Kīhei;
- 28 single-family workforce housing units for Kilohana Makai in Kīhei;
- 500 residential workforce housing units for Waikapū Country Town;
- 212 low-income housing units at Aikanaha Phases 1 and 2 in Waikapū;
- 120 affordable housing units at Hale Mahaolu Ke Kahua in Waiehu;
- 178 affordable housing units for Hale Pilina in Kahului; and
- 89 affordable housing units for the rebuild of Kaiāulu o Kupuohi in Lahaina.
That’s about 1,350 housing units. As needed, the county supported these projects by providing land or a loan to the developer.
But a major hurdle to building housing is developing sufficient water sources and the necessary infrastructure to deliver water to our residents.
Although our island has an abundance of sustainable groundwater, we must responsibly manage these existing water sources. Additionally, we must better administer our existing supply of potable water while expanding its capacity and our infrastructure’s resiliency.
To help in our effort, the state granted counties the authority to levy a 0.5 percent general excise tax surcharge, with the revenue used for housing infrastructure if those costs are not passed on to developers. By reducing the burden of infrastructure costs, those developers can in turn lower their housing prices to residents.
When faced with a crisis, all reasonable options should be on the table.
*Tom Cook is the chair of the Water and Infrastructure Committee. He holds the council seat for the South Maui residency area. “Council’s 3 Minutes” is a column to explain the latest council news on county legislative and community matters. Go to mauicounty.us for more information.
