Public/Private Partnership Provides Local Jobs and Much Needed Affordable Housing in Ewa
Photos from the event are posted on the EAH Housing Facebook Page

To view KHON coverage of the event Click Here

Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle recently joined EAH Housing in a ground breaking ceremony for Phase I of Villages of Moa’e Ku, a new housing development designed specifically for low- and very low-income working families in Ewa Beach. Villages of Moa’e Ku will provide 192 apartment homes in a convenient setting, close to the Ewa Elementary School, shopping centers, and Ewa Beach parks.

“The Villages of Moa’e Ku will create new affordable housing opportunities to help ensure that our families, their children, and future generations are able to call Hawai’i home,” said Mayor Peter Carlisle. “With so many of our families and senior residents unable to pay the high cost of housing, it is crucial that organizations, like EAH Housing/Hui Kauhale, continue to partner with the public and private sectors to expand the inventory of affordable housing in communities throughout our island. I commend EAH Housing/Hui Kauhale, our partners in the state and federal governments, and the Ewa community for their perseverance and dedication to realizing this exciting and much needed project.”

At today’s ceremony Mayor Carlisle, EAH Housing President and CEO Mary Murtagh, and other dignitaries will make speaking appearances. Then Kumu Hula Blaine Kamalani Kia will bless the site and use a traditional O’o stick to turn the ground where the community will be established.

Villages of Moa’e Ku will consist of one, two, and three bedroom floor plans. The community will be built in three phases, with the first phase of 64 apartments expected to be completed in the summer of 2012. Each building cluster surrounds a central courtyard and includes fenced in tot-lots for the keiki. All buildings on the property are connected by a series of landscaped walkways. A community building will house the property management offices, a kitchenette for resident use, and a multi-purpose room.

“We know that soon we will see a vibrant community, one that is deeply intertwined with the surrounding neighborhood, grow out of Villages of Moa’e Ku. With every development, EAH Housing aims to provide housing for those most in need while creating an environment in which people can thrive,” said EAH Housing President and CEO Mary Murtagh.

EAH Housing partnered with a variety of local, state, and federal agencies to build Villages of Moa’e Ku. This development represents the fulfillment of the City and County of Honolulu’s vision to develop affordable rental housing for working families in the Ewa area. As the first financial participant in the Villages project, the City provided a vital $5.5 million acquisition loan comprised of city and federal funds that enabled EAH Housing/Hui Kauhale, Inc. to purchase the entire 24 acre building site.

This was followed by $7.2 million in HOME funds from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), administered by the City and County, which helped with predevelopment and construction costs. Similarly, a $2 million HUD award through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), administered by the Hawai’i Housing Finance & Development Corporation (HHFDC), was also provided.

Additional public funding was provided by the State of Hawai’i through the HHFDC’s Rental Housing Trust Fund. Private financing was provided by Wells Fargo Bank, Alliant Capital, and Prudential Mortgage Capital Company/Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.

“An unwavering commitment to providing affordable housing in Ewa Beach was exhibited throughout the lengthy planning process for Villages of Moa’e Ku. The team involved with this development worked through every obstacle and never lost sight of our goal to strengthen the community of Ewa Beach by providing housing for working families,” said Monique Hastings, Senior Vice President for Alliant.

“The Villages of Moa’e Ku is a perfect example of HHFDC’s mission to increase the supply of workforce housing through coordinated public-private partnerships. Not only will it provide more housing opportunities in Ewa, it will create construction jobs to help strengthen the local economy,” said Karen Seddon, Executive Director of the HHFDC.