They don’t have to be starving, but artists with low incomes have an opportunity to soon move into an apartment building nearing completion in Kakaako with live/work lofts available at rents as low as $522 a month.

Construction of the largely government-financed Ola ka ‘Ilima Artspace Lofts midrise is on pace to open by the end of March, and the developers of the roughly $50 million project with 84 units on state land are accepting tenant applications.

Ola ka ‘Ilima is designed for individuals or families with annual incomes between $24,510 for a single person and $86,760 for a family of seven, and preference will be given to artists.

Federal fair-housing law designates artists as a special group, so a housing project that gives preference to artists isn’t deemed discriminatory.

Naomi Chu, vice president of asset management for one of the project’s two nonprofit developers, Artspace Projects Inc., said in a statement that Ola ka ‘Ilima will be a community for all kinds of creative expression as well as a home for Native Hawaiian cultural organization PA‘I Arts and Culture Center which will have a performance area, workspace and art gallery to create, practice, showcase and market traditional and contemporary arts.

“Imagine the impact of the creative energy and spirit of this new artist community and this native cultural center in the same place in the heart of Kakaako,” she said. “It is going to be incredible.”

Partnering with Minneapolis- based Artspace on the project is the affordable-housing development firm EAH Housing, a California-based nonprofit with a major Hawaii presence.

“The need for affordable housing in Honolulu is staggering and we’ve seen it impact many groups, especially those in the arts,” Marian Gushiken, EAH director of real estate development, said in a statement.

Prospective tenants have until 4 p.m. Jan. 22 to apply. Selecting tenants will be done through a lottery scheduled for Jan. 29.

According to Artspace, an artist’s creative work need not be their occupation or income source.

“It is customary for artists to work in other careers in order to support themselves, their dependents, and their art form,” the organization said in tenant application materials. “Artspace is interested in individuals who are committed to building a creative community and will give some of their time and energy toward this goal.”

Who qualifies as an artist is up to a committee of local artists who will review evidence of an applicant’s commitment to art without judging the quality of art. Artspace uses a broad definition of “artist” that can include people engaged in photography, literature, architecture, singing, dancing, filmmaking, acting, fashion design, canoe building, weaving and more. Even workers such as technicians, administrators and teachers who help produce or support art can qualify.

Applications and more information about qualifying are available at eahhousing.org/future/artspace-lofts.

Lofts in the project range from 680 to 1,279 square feet with one to three bedrooms. Monthly rent will range from $522 to $1,670 and be tied to Honolulu’s median income.

Tenants may not earn more than 60 percent of the median income, which equates to $49,020 for a single person and $69,960 for a family of four. Some units are reserved for households earning half as much, which would be $24,510 for a single person. Also, families as big as seven with a household income up to $86,760 can qualify.

Artspace has developed about 40 mostly residential projects for artists across the country, but this would be its first in Hawaii. Artspace and EAH have been working on Ola ka ‘Ilima for eight years, and initially began pursuing a land lease in 2011 with the Hawaii Community Development Authority, a state agency that owns the project site at 1025 Waimanu St.

Construction began in August after the developers overcame financing challenges and other delays. Financing included around $38 million in loans, tax credits and revenue bonds from another state agency, the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp., along with a $1.9 million grant from the state Legislature and a few million dollars from the city.

Loft apartments for artists

>> Project: Ola ka ‘Ilima Artspace Lofts

>> Units: 84

>> Monthly rent: $522 to $1,670

>> Income limit: 60 percent of Honolulu’s median income

>> Applications and more information: eahhousing.org/future/artspace-lofts