Demand far outstripped supply for nearly 200 affordable rental apartments under construction on Maui that were offered to lucky applicants this week via lottery.

Some 447 applications were received by developers of 195 affordable units in the Kaulana Mahina project in Wailuku slated for completion in early 2024.

The response reflected a long-running need for affordable housing on Maui made worse by the Aug. 8 wildfires that destroyed most of Lahaina and displaced around 3,500 households, most of which are living in West Maui hotels.

Representatives of the project’s development team were not available for comment in recent days, though they did expect high demand from prospective tenants.

Kerry Nicholson, senior managing director of Legacy Partners, one of the project’s developers, said in a September announcement that project officials were eager to move residents into Kaulana Mahina, where affordable apartments ranging from studios to two-bedroom units are to rent for $1,383 to $3,295 a month.

Another 129 apartments ranging from one- to three- bedroom units to be rented at market prices topping out at almost $4,000 a month also are part of Kaulana Mahina.

“We simply need more of these projects on Maui,” Nicholson said in the September announcement. “While the inventory we have available does not come close to meeting the need for housing on Maui, we are the first workforce rental apartment development on Maui in more than 20 years.”

Efforts to obtain state and county approvals to develop Kaulana Mahina date back at least to 2017, and the complex was at one time projected to be finished in 2021.

The project is being developed on 14.4 acres of former sugar cane plantation land adjacent to the Kehalani master- planned community.

In consideration for making 60% of 324 units affordable to households with low and moderate incomes, the developer received a package of exemptions to certain zoning and fee regulations authorized by the state Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. and approved by Maui County officials who strongly supported the project.

Affordable units are reserved for households earning no more than 140% of the median income on Maui, including many units reserved for households earning only up to 120%, 100% and 80% of the median income.

At the low end this equates to $64,880 for a single person, $74,160 for a couple and $92,640 for a family of four. At the high end the limit equates to $113,540 for a single person, $129,780 for a couple and $162,120 for a family of four.

Amenities in the project include a pool, gym, yoga room, resident lounge, playground lawn area and dog park.

After delays, construction on what had been estimated in 2018 to be a $97 million project began in 2022 by the development partners, which also include BIT Wailuku LLC, Pacific Coast Capital Partners and others.

After the Aug. 8 wildfire in Lahaina and one that destroyed more than 20 homes in Upcountry Maui, the development team said in a statement that Kaulana Mahina offers some hope during a critical time with so many Maui families in need of homes.

Initial tenants are expected to begin moving in sometime between January and March.