A plan to build a largely 4-story low-income rental apartment complex on the edge of a single-family neighborhood in Kailua is drawing community opposition.

The plan led by Kailua-­based development firm Ahe Group and three nonprofit partners would deliver 73 apartments almost entirely for residents with low incomes, but the site on a corner of Oneawa and Kawainui streets is being criticized as inappropriate by some close neighbors and other community members.

An Ahe Group affiliate owns the nearly 1-acre parcel, which is occupied by seven single-family homes built in 1967 on the edge of the Coconut Grove neighborhood bordering Kailua’s commercial core.

The developer has filed an application with the city Department of Planning and Permitting seeking an exemption from zoning density and height limits because the project delivers low-income housing.

Under state law, such exemptions can be granted by the City Council.

Components of the estimated $37 million project include 53 parking stalls, bike parking and an internal courtyard between an L-shaped 4-story building and a 3-story building.

Affordable rents would be maintained for 61 years, and monthly rental rates are projected to range from $521 to $1,412 for 68 affordable units with one or two bedrooms. Four units would be rented at close to market rates and one unit would be for a manager.

Of the 68 affordable units, 54 would be reserved for households earning no more than 60% of the median income in Honolulu, which equates to $50,640 for a single person, $57,840 for a couple and $72,300 for a family of four.

Seven units would be for households earning up to 50% of the median income, and seven units would be for households earning up to 30% of the median income.

The developer is seeking tax credits from the state Housing Finance and Development Corp. as well as about $522,000 in waived city fees to assist with financing.

Makani Maeva, Ahe’s principal, said affordable housing is badly lacking in Kailua and that the site across the street from an O’Reilly Auto Parts store, a gas station and a 7-Eleven store is well suited for affordable housing.

“It is not the countryside,” she said. “It is ideally situated for affordable housing. I think it’s a great project.”

Opponents argue that the site is wrong for dense housing because the project dubbed Kawainui Street Apartments will have negative impacts on traffic, street parking, views and the character of the neighborhood zoned for single-family homes.

“It’s a bad location,” said Toni Pedro, a second-generation Kailua resident who lives next to the site and organized the Facebook group Protect Kailua after hearing concerns about the project from others through social media last month. “It’ll be an eyesore.”

Pedro said the proposed building would shade rooftop solar systems of neighbors while also blocking views and the wind. But it’s not only immediate neighbors opposing the project.

The Lanikai Outdoor Circle describes the project as a “monster development in the heart of an historically low-rise neighborhood.”

The organization said it is concerned about similar buildings rising in single-family neighborhoods if the project is approved.

“It is considered out of place in the geographical location where it would be introduced, even if an admirable purpose such as affordable housing is used to justify it,” the organization said in a statement.

To raise awareness of the issue, Pedro has organized rallies next to the project site.

At the first rally on May 27, several participants carried signs with messages that included “Save Coconut Grove” and “‘Nuff Already.”

Follow-up rallies were held May 30 and Wednesday.

Protect Kailua has urged people to attend a Kailua Neighborhood Board meeting tonight, though the board has proposed holding a special meeting June 12 to host a presentation from the developer and discuss the project.

Some project opponents contend that it’s not fair to advance the plan during social distancing policies that deter community engagement.

The developer had intended to make a presentation to the neighborhood board’s planning and zoning committee in March followed by the full board in April. But those meetings were canceled.

A decision by the neighborhood board can influence the City Council.

A City Council hearing has not yet been scheduled on the developer’s application.

Ikaika Anderson, the Council representative for the area, said three prior affordable-housing projects proposed in Kailua since he joined the Council in 2009 were all thwarted after community opposition over location.

“What we heard is go build it somewhere else,” he said. “This is the fourth ‘somewhere else’ in Kailua that’s come up”.

Anderson said he’s seen a lot of incorrect information about Kawainui Street Apartments, and that his view of the project is positive in part because a recent check showed no housing available in Kailua for under $1,500 a month.

However, Anderson also said that if the general Kailua community position opposes the project then he’s fine reflecting that in his vote after public hearings.

If the developer receives approvals, construction could start in December and be finished in early 2022.