Waikiki residents are pushing back against the planned Ainahau Vista II tower, which would provide low-income housing for seniors on a plot of land now devoted to a small park.

The project, financed by the state Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. and developed by the nonprofit Hawaii Housing Development Corp., aims to build an 80-foot, nine-story building with 62 rental units, ranging from 377 square feet for a studio to 420 square feet for a one-bedroom.

The developer is required to keep units at an affordable level for at least 62 years. Rents range from $503 a month to $1,078 based on 2015 prices.

The prices are low enough that homeless seniors on subsidies like Housing First may qualify. That’s one of the main rubs for Suzan Danforth, who just bought a condominium in January in a building overlooking the proposed development. She and about five other Waikiki residents collected more than 330 signatures when they circulated a petition opposing the project.

“I see this parade of shabby, scary, unpredictable, erratic people spreading out in a neighborhood that has been struggling to improve,” said Danforth, who forwarded the petition to the state and the developer. “They used to call it ‘The Jungle.’ It was really rough. Now people are out walking. You see baby carriages and little dogs, and everyone feels relatively safe. We don’t want to rock the boat.”

Danforth said Waikiki residents who signed the petition also are concerned that the tower, which would be built over what is now a cultural park, would take away needed green space and add to the community’s density.

“We only had 10 days” to collect signatures on the petition, she said. “With more time we’d have had 1,000 signatures. People thanked us for standing up.”

While some in the group would like to see the development scrapped, Danforth said she hopes that the state and the developer will work with people to modify the project. She’d like to see more parking stalls added to the project and greater green space preserved. She’d also like to keep homeless individuals out of the lowest-income units.

“I’m concerned about appearances. People save to come to paradise. They want a family vacation. They aren’t expecting to see elements that are rough and dangerous,” she said. “You’ve got homeless on one side and Gucci and Prada on the other. You’ve also got very vulnerable seniors. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Education needed

The state agency and developer did not provide a response by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s deadline. However, the Institute for Human Services, which runs the state’s largest homeless shelters and operates Hale Mauliola at Sand Island, said more education is needed to inform Waikiki residents about the importance of projects like the Ainahau Vista expansion.

“Most of the community has vetted and supported this project,” said IHS Executive Director Connie Mitchell. “So many people in Waikiki have been priced out and become homeless. People shouldn’t judge people because they are homeless. If these people signing the petition fell into homelessness, they should be thankful that we are there and that these types of units are available to them.”

Based on 2015 income limits, six one-bedroom units in Ainahau Vista II would rent for about $1,078 to individuals making $40,260 or less and couples making $46,020 or less. Approximately 41 of the one-bedroom units would rent for about $850 and nine of the studios for about $800. These units would rent to individuals earning $33,550 or less and couples earning $38,350 or less. Approximately six studio units would rent for about $503 to individuals earning less than $20,130 a year and couples earning less than $23,010 based on 2015 limits.

Kimo Carvalho, IHS director of community development, said Waikiki already has many residents who are living at those income levels.

“There are a ton of people living at that level throughout Waikiki and contributing to that community,” Carvalho said. “Many are restaurant workers, hotel security and housekeepers. They developed the charm of Waikiki and already live at that level of housing and were formerly homeless. In the end it’s not wise to bite the hand that feeds you.”

IHS and its affiliated partners have moved 392 people off the streets of Waikiki since November 2014 and are now actively serving another 167 people in Waikiki via employment, housing, case management, health care, legal, housing and shelter services, Carvalho said.

Projects derailed

But Danforth would prefer that the state find alternative housing for the isle’s lowest-income seniors outside of Waikiki or at a place like the Waikiki Community Center where the size of the tract would reduce the impact on surrounding residents.

NIMBY (not in my back yard) concerns have previously derailed affordable-housing and low-income projects in Waikiki and Chinatown. However, Waikiki Neighborhood Board member Jeff Merz said attitudes have softened as the population and visibility of homeless individuals has grown in the state.

“The board has taken a stance if it looks like a viable situation, we are agreeable to low-income housing. All types of people live in Waikiki, and we have the ability to house a full range of people. If experts are telling us Housing First or scattered housing is the best practice, I’m for it,” Merz said. “I wouldn’t have a problem if it were next to my house. I don’t want to be one of those neighborhoods that pushes everyone to Sand Island or Waianae.”

Merz, who is an urban planner, said until now the community has generally been supportive of the project. Still, a few members of the community did raise other objections at previous meetings ranging from the small unit sizes to concerns about parking, disappearing green space and disturbing iwi, or Hawaiian burials.

“They probably have a point about the green space. The park is well used by current residents in the existing Ainahau Vista tower, ” Merz said. “There are other lots in the neighborhood that have been vacant for years. That might have been a better fit.”

Stephany Sofos, a Waikiki-based real estate analyst, agreed.

“Waikiki is supposed to have pockets of open green space. There’s a spot down the street that’s privately owned by a trucking company. It’s been empty for years and is an eyesore. Why don’t they negotiate for something like that?” Sofos said. “Why does it always have to be a park? What’s the next thing — Jefferson Elementary, Waikiki Elementary?”