LIHU‘E — The county Housing Agency recently issued a notice to proceed to Shioi Construction for the construction of three affordable three-bedroom, two-bath, single-family homes on the Westside, county officials said in a news release Tuesday. Shioi was awarded $837,000
LIHU‘E — The county Housing Agency recently issued a notice to proceed to Shioi Construction for the construction of three affordable three-bedroom, two-bath, single-family homes on the Westside, county officials said in a news release Tuesday.
Shioi was awarded $837,000 for the housing project, which is scheduled to break ground next month.
Two of the homes will be built in ‘Ele‘ele Nani and one in Waimea near Kaua‘i Veterans Memorial Hospital.
“We are very pleased to move forward on these homes, which are part of our larger plan to provide more affordable housing for our low- to moderate-income families,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr., noting that funding for the project was provided through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.
In Hawai‘i, NSP is administered by the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation, a state agency.
“We actually received a total of $4.7 million through NSP, and will be using the money for the Westside project, as well as for the acquisition and rehabilitation of six foreclosed properties in Kapa‘a, Lihu‘e, Koloa and Kekaha,” said the mayor. “It’s heartwarming to know that nine families will soon be able to realize their dream of homeownership.”
Prospective buyers for these homes will be selected from the county’s Homebuyer List Program.
The Homebuyer List Program was established three years ago to provide a mechanism for homebuyer-ready residents to be given the first opportunity to buy affordable and workforce housing units that are built by the County or by private developers as a requirement for their projects.
Currently there are 395 participants in the program.
Other affordable housing projects that are underway on Kaua’i include:
— Pa‘anau Village, phase two: Site work for 50 rental units is expected to begin by the end of this year.
— Puhi Self-Help Project: The third and final phase with 13 units is being built.
— Pi‘ilani Mae Ke Kai: The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands have built 80 lots in this Anahola subdivision. Home construction began this spring.
— ‘Ele‘ele I Luna, phase two: Site construction on the first increment of phase two is expected to begin this year. Site develop.m.ent and homebuilding for the second and third increments, 45 and 27 lots respectively, will continue through 2018.
— Kukui‘ula employee housing: The 75-unit project is in the pre-develop.m.ent stage.
“What I would suggest to anyone interested in buying or renting a home is to sign up for free homebuyer education classes,” said county Housing Director Eugene Jimenez. “This will give them an introduction to home ownership, assess their readiness to buy a home and provide them with an understanding of the home-buying process.
“As these projects come online, they’ll know what’s involved with purchasing a home and will be ready to apply,” Jimenez said.
Currently, there are two nonprofit agencies that offer homebuyer education and counseling services on Kaua‘i — Hawaiian Community Assets and Hawai‘i Homeownership Center.
The next homebuyer orientation session scheduled by Hawaiian Community Assets is 5 to 7 p.m., June 9, at the Lihu‘e Civic Center in the Pi‘ikoi Building. To register, call HCA at 1-866-400-1116 or 632-2070.
The Hawai‘i Homeownership Center will be offering its next orientation from 3 to 4 p.m., June 5, in the Pi‘ikoi Building. To register for the HHOC orientation, call 1-877-523-9503.
For more information, call the Housing Agency at 241-4444.
