The first affordable housing project on Lānaʻi in 35 years is set to begin construction this year. Kaiāulu O Lānaʻi will offer 72 rent-to-own units.
Maui County Councilmember Gabe Johnson represents Lānaʻi. He spoke with HPR about the importance of affordable housing and why the project holds personal meaning for him.
Interview Highlights
On the need for affordable housing
GABE JOHNSON: Unfortunately, it's a common story within the state of Hawaiʻi. You have people stacked in little, tiny plantation homes, and with that comes no privacy, no place for one's own, you know, rest your own head. And what happens is the diseases of despair kick in, right? The abuses, the drug abuse, the spouse abuse; those kinds of things are correlated to how stacked we are in our houses. And so when we're all stacked in and then we get a chance to move, you know, stretch our legs a bit, and have our own bedroom, you know, have our own place, that really does help the community. And you see what has happened when you don't do it; the values go up throughout the community because there's no supply. And then folks move away. They realize they can get a house. They could sell their house that's been family-owned since 1930 and then they can, you know, sell it, and then go to Vegas and buy a house half the price… and that changes the community. Changes the fabric of our town. So housing is critical to keep Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi.
On the benefits of the rent-to-own model
JOHNSON: I got my team together and we went door to door, interviewed 400 households on the island of Lānaʻi, out of our 800… and one thing we learned was they want rent-to-own. Because who has $30,000 in the bank waiting for a down payment? They know that they don't have that kind of purchasing power, and if it does get built, they're afraid mainland folks will come and buy, or someone who has more financial freedom. And locals have been getting burned by that system for many years; they're weary of it. So rent-to-own means I can live in it for 15 years; on the 16th year, I have the option to buy. Now that's wonderful. That's what a lot of people wanted on Lānaʻi, and that's what we found: a builder who's going to deliver.
On the long wait for affordable housing
JOHNSON: At the end of the day, people have been trying to get in these, trying to have a home to buy, for so long that it's hard to believe, let's be honest, it's hard for them to really believe. When we did the blessing, it was so concrete that it's actually happening that, I mean, everybody was in tears. It was a very emotional day, because so many times people come and say, ‘let's have a meeting about this parcel, let's have a meeting about this parcel.’ And you talk and, you know, nothing ever comes of it. So now, when it's actually happening, I think the blessing is great, and there's signage up that says, you know, coming soon. But the day you give them the key? Oh, there won't be a dry eye in the house for that one. And that's really what I think is so great, that it's going to happen, and we'll be there.
This story aired on The Conversation on March 5, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
