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City opens affordable rental complex in McCully

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  • CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Jim Stone, a G70 architect, gathered with Blake Inouye, vice president of Inouye Contracting, in the community room.

    CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

    Jim Stone, a G70 architect, gathered with Blake Inouye, vice president of Inouye Contracting, in the community room.

  • CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                A blessing ceremony at 1936 Citron St. was held Monday to celebrate the completion of a 30-unit single-room occupancy project called Mohala Mai.

    CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

    A blessing ceremony at 1936 Citron St. was held Monday to celebrate the completion of a 30-unit single-room occupancy project called Mohala Mai.

  • CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Lance Inouye, president of Ralph S. Inouye Co. Ltd., with Brittnie Lau of the Department of Land Management, toured one of the rooms that overlook Citron Street.

    CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

    Lance Inouye, president of Ralph S. Inouye Co. Ltd., with Brittnie Lau of the Department of Land Management, toured one of the rooms that overlook Citron Street.

  • CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Lonnie Saunders, resident manager, and his son, Elkanah, visited one of the rooms, above.

    CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

    Lonnie Saunders, resident manager, and his son, Elkanah, visited one of the rooms, above.

The city Monday held a blessing for a 30-unit affordable rental project at what had been a dormitory in McCully for international students.

Each of the units at 1936 Citron St. is equipped with a small refrigerator and sink. But occupants on each floor must share a bathroom and convenience centers equipped with microwave ovens and sinks, and community rooms with full kitchens and laundry facilities.

Located a half-block away from Lunalilo Elementary School and next door to McCully District Park, the units are targeted for single parents with young children at 50% of median income or less and who are either homeless or are at risk of homelessness. Units are expected to run $700-$750 a month.

“Being a parent is difficult — really, really, really difficult — and being a single parent raising a child is even more difficult,” Mayor Kirk Caldwell said. “So if you’re on the verge of homelessness or maybe have experienced homelessness, and you have a child and you’re a single parent, the obstacles, the hurdles, the difficulties that you face are things that I can’t even begin to imagine.”

The project has been named Mohala Mai, Hawaiian for “growth.” Caldwell imagines the facility as “a place where people can come live together and live safely.”

The city purchased the land for $3.9 million in April. The $4.75 million renovation on the building by the Department of Land Management began in May.

For more information on the project, call Hawaii Affordable Properties Inc. at 589-1845 or go to hawaiiaffordable.com.

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