As Maui continues to face a pressing need for affordable housing, recent developments underscore both the challenges and the persistent efforts being made across the island. Most notably, the Maui County Council recently approved a time extension for the Kuʻikahi Village project, a workforce housing initiative initially designed to provide 202 units across a range of housing types.
Originally planned to serve below-moderate to above-moderate income households with for-sale, multifamily, duplex, townhome, live-work, studio, and single-family units, the Kuʻikahi Village has encountered significant economic headwinds. Rising construction costs, inflation, labor shortages, and interest rate hikes have all contributed to a more than 20% increase in project costs. These conditions have made the original plan economically infeasible, prompting developers to request — and receive — a new completion deadline of May 2029.
As Council Member Tasha Kama, chair of the Housing and Land Use Committee, noted, “The world we are now in is dramatically different than the one that existed in 2022.” Developers are doing their best to adapt to these shifts while trying to keep their commitment to building affordable homes.
Affordable housing continues to be a complex and evolving issue on Maui, shaped not only by local policy but by larger economic forces.
-
#MauiRealEstate
-
#AffordableHousingMaui
-
#KuikahiVillage
-
#MauiHousingUpdate
-
#WorkforceHousing
-
#livingonmaui
👉 To read the full original article and dive deeper into the Council’s decisions, click here.
To read a prior article on Kuikahi Village, click here.
