40 new apartments to be built at Kalepa Village

The Kauai Housing Development Corporation is being awarded $5.2 million in federal and state funds to help develop 40 housing units at Kalepa Village in Hanama’ulu.

The funds are set to be received over a 10-year period.

The project could help ease the shortage of affordable housing on Kaua’i.

The second phase of the rental housing project will feature 40 one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units placed in two-story, apartment-style buildings.

The new units will feature spacious living areas and will be equipped with solar water heating, washer and dryers.

Underground utilities, parking lots and finished building pads are in place for work to start on the second phase.

The completion of the second phase will turn Kalepa Village into a community of about 100 residential units.

The new units will be made available to people earning at or below 50 percent of the median income of the area.

Eight of the 40 units are targeted for residents who make at or below 30 percent of the median income for the area.

John Frazier, executive director of Kauai Housing, said the occupancy for the 60 units in the first phase continually hovers near 100 percent.

“With the shortage of affordable rentals on Kaua’i, we look forward to building a well-maintained and highly desirable residential community in Hanama’ulu,” Frazier said in a statement.

He said it has been a long time since a residential rental project on Kaua’i was given a tax credit award.

Mayor Maryanne Kusaka said she was “pleased that we’ve been awarded these low-income housing tax credits so that we can provide more affordable housing for our lower-income families.”

Frazier said he and others with KHDC appreciate the “thoughtful consideration of the HCDCH board and the Rental Housing Trust Fund Advisory Commission for our proposal.”