Dedication Thursday for Hilo Senior Housing Project

A dedication ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday for phase one of the Mohouli Heights Senior Neighborhood project.

Its first 60 tenants have been chosen through a lottery process run by the county Office of Housing and Community Development. They will be moving into their new homes on April 1.

Another 90 senior residential housing units are planned for the 15.9-acre project being developed by the Hawaii Island Community Development Corp.

A site blessing for a new home for the Hilo Adult Day Center will follow Thursday’s dedication on the Mohouli Extension just above Komohana Street.

The center will eventually replace the existing Hilo Adult Day Center currently operating in the old Hilo Hospital building on Rainbow Drive.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie last week released $385,000 approved previously by the Legislature toward the design and construction of the facility. State lawmakers have also allocated another $1 million for the center.

However, the day-care project is only 30% of the way toward securing the $7.5 million needed to complete the center.

“It is anticipated that future funding from the State of Hawaii, private trusts and foundations and community contributions will complete the funding for this needed project,” the Hawaii Island Community Development Corp. said in a statement today.

This aerial shot shows the location of the senior residential center on the Mohouli Extension above Komohana Street (click to enlarge). Courtesy photo.

The HICDC said Mohouli Heights was designed with Hilo’s rainy climate in mind, with cross-ventilation and covered walkways.

All units are approximately 590 square feet in size and contain one bedroom, one bathroom and a full kitchen.

The community center has a laundry, mailboxes and large activity room.

The $19.5 million residential project is being funded by a public-private partnership. It involves funding provided by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, which along with the state is helping to subsidize the senior housing, and investments from several banks and an insurance company which in return receive federal tax credits.