A new building that will offer affordable housing and secure long-term rentals to kupuna in Moiliili was the site of a blessing ceremony Friday.

The $39.7 million development, called Hale Makana o Moili‘ili, replaced low- density apartment buildings and a handful of single-family homes in an area situated about a block away from Stadium Park and public bus transportation routes.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi, who attended the groundbreaking for the 105-unit development in October 2021, praised the project’s success at the event.

“There’s so much about this project that’s absolutely brilliant,” he said. “Addressing a really critical need for our kupuna and its location, and what it was, having seen it before and now what it is … it’s very exciting.” The building is for kupuna ages 55 and older.

Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters and Gov. Josh Green both expressed their gratitude at the ceremony to those who made the affordable-housing development a success.

“Housing is what we need more than anything else for our people … because, as it’s been shared before, our people are leaving,” Green said. “Mahalo for blessing what we need, which is housing for people in our beautiful state, and for kupuna so they can be with their families.”

The blessing included a pule and a lei untying ceremony carried out by five kahu. Hawaiian cultural designs are incorporated into the interior of the building, tying in the culturally grounded ideals of the organization behind the project, ‘Ikenakea Development. ‘Ikenakea Development is comprised of two organizations, 3 Leaf Holdings and the Hawaiian Community Development Board, which work together to create affordable housing in Hawaii.

“In Hawaii there’s a lot of different cultures here,” said Christopher Flaherty, co-managing partner of ‘Ikenakea Development and chairman of 3 Leaf Holdings. “We want to pay homage, especially to the Hawaiian culture, because it is Hawaii. So we try to always incorporate cultural significance in everything we do.”

It took about 15 months to complete the project, which is geared toward kupuna after the community expressed the need for affordable housing, particularly for low-income kupuna in Moiliili, Flaherty said.

Obtaining permits for such developments in the past has been an arduous task, he said. But with Hale Makana o Moili‘ili, that process was streamlined, which Flaherty believes is largely due to to efforts by the city and state to prioritize affordable-housing developments.

Hale Makana o Moili‘ili contains 80 studio units with one bath and 25 one-bedroom units with one bath. They offer energy- efficient features and appliances that will help minimize utility costs for residents. The development also includes a community center where tenants may hold meetings or social gatherings. The space will also be used by various nonprofit agencies to provide services specific to the needs expressed by tenants.

The development project was funded by the Rental Housing Revolving Funds, the Hula Mae Multifamily Bond Program, Bank of Hawaii and CREA LLC, according to a news release. The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. also allocated 4% low-income housing tax credits to the development.

Linsey Dower covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.