Front Street Apartments to remain affordable
Hogan Lovells counsel Joe Lambert, who served as lead counsel on the case, said: “While we were confident in our position and prepared to argue the case before the appellate court, we are pleased FSA has dropped its appeal and that Judge Otake’s order confirming that the rent restrictions cannot be removed unilaterally remains in full force and effect. I am proud of the work our team did on this case and am thrilled that Front Street will remain affordable through 2051, as the developer promised it would.”
Mike Tuttle, a Front Street Apartment resident and a plaintiff in the case, noted: “The incredible stress for so many people, not knowing if they would lose their home, has really taken its toll. It’s hard to put into words the level of joy and relief we all feel now that it’s over, but it’s extremely sad that it had to come to this. I thank God for all the wonderful people at Hawaiʻi Appleseed, Lawyers for Equal Justice, the lawyers at Hogan Lovells, and attorney Lance Collins for saving this affordable housing complex.”
Chi Guyer, one of the residents at Front Street Apartments, added: “It is wonderful to know that we [will] continue to have a home here at FSA, and mahalo to the attorneys for coming to the aid of the folks who live at FSA who have, for over four years, waited with baited breath to learn whether or not our homes would be here for us. Many thanks for saving affordable housing at FSA.”
Ray Kong, legal director at Lawyers for Equal Justice, said, “This case is an important reminder about the dire need for affordable housing in Hawaii. We need to ensure that projects like Front Street remain affordable, not only through the promised dates, but we need to think ahead, for Front Street and other housing like it, about how to keep these units affordable when the restrictions expire. We cannot wait until the rent restrictions expire. We need to plan ahead and take action now.”
“Judge Otake’s decision ensures that public officials can have confidence that when they approve affordable housing agreements with tax breaks and credits, that subsequent owners can’t back out of their end of the bargain decades later,” said Maui attorney Collins.