Betty Sakamoto
Aloha. Welcome to Betty’s Real Estate Corner, brought to you by Coldwell Banker Sakamoto Properties. Roy and Betty Sakamoto are both here today in the studio to catch you up on what’s going on, what’s happening, and a little bit of this and that. It should be a lot of fun today.
Roy Sakamoto
How did we come up with the name of the show? Do you remember?
BS: No, I don’t. Originally, it was going to be just the two of us. Then, during the week when I cut myself, or maybe it was that day, you came up with the name. Anyway, it’s Betty’s Real Estate Corner.
Yeah, we talk about real estate, Maui, and everything that’s happening here. We discuss how difficult things are for everyone, but we also have a great story of promise. We’ll talk about it a bit—it’s opening next week at Kapalua.
RS: Next week.
BS: Sorry, I keep pushing it a bit faster than it is, but a lot is going on right now. It’s still going to be hard. I sometimes picture it and wonder if we’ll see Lahaina reopened as we get older, but I hope we do. I hope that something gets it going and that it all comes together because I think people need that in their lives today.
RS: They do, absolutely. We’re one week away from the one-year anniversary of the horrendous fire, and we’ve lost many good friends and suffered severe property damage. Many people are doing what they can to get Lahaina back on its feet, so we’ll see.
BS: It’s going to be really interesting to see how it all turns out. I think it’s different from what we expected and has taken longer than we ever imagined. The good news is that from where we were during the fires—our home, which was far enough north to be safe—we didn’t know exactly where the fire was. We actually thought it was more or less above Kaanapali.
RS: The hills above Lahaina.
BS: The hills above Lahaina—something like that, we never would have dreamed what was happening. But it was a very scary time. At one point, we thought everything was going wrong. We had no telephone or any means of communication for the entire day. I remember thinking it was going to be a nightmare as we got closer and closer and heard more and more. At one point, we were actually afraid that there could easily be a thousand people who would die in this fire.
RS: Yeah, we had a granddaughter and her friend staying with us—our granddaughter from Portland. There was a lot of uncertainty for us; we had no idea what was going on. The rest of Maui and the rest of the world knew what was happening, but we had no clue.
BS: Right. My family’s home and Roy’s family home both burned in the fire. His parents had passed away, and we had sadly sold the home a long time ago. But it was a great home on 463 Lahainaluna Road. It was a beautiful property with fabulous trees, including a big mango tree.
It was the sweetest house of all time. You couldn’t have been more comfortable there. When my daughter Julie Ahu Flynn was in high school, my father-in-law would pick her up from school and bring her to the house before track practice. She would nap in his chair for about 15 minutes, and they’d have cookies together. I’m not sure why I’m mentioning this now, but it was the greatest home ever. It was small, loving, and perfect. I’m sad that it’s gone because it was such a special place.
RS: But we need to look forward, and a lot is happening to rebuild Lahaina. It’s going to take a little longer than anyone projected, but it will happen. We’ve heard stories about various efforts, including a project through a management company and the owners of the Kapalua golf courses. They’re opening a 50-unit modular home project at Kapalua.
The first phase will open on August 13th, with a ceremony attended by the governor, the mayor, and various dignitaries. Eventually, there will be 50 units: 22 two-bedroom homes, 15 three-bedroom homes, and 15 four-bedroom homes.
BS: Now, they’re small, there’s no question about it, but they have everything. Each unit will come with a washer and dryer, and all the necessary appliances, and will be fully furnished. You might need to bring linens and other personal items, so it’s a good idea to have some essentials ready. This will help ensure that people moving in are comfortable during those first few days.
RS: Yeah. Initially, these homes will be set aside for employees of the golf courses—46 of whom lost their homes. We’re currently determining which employees are interested in taking one of these homes. All 50 homes will be taken, so we’re trying to figure out a method to open the remaining homes to the general public.
BS: It could possibly go first to other Kapalua employees.
RS: Possibly.
BS: Possibly.
RS: We’re just looking at various scenarios.
BS: Well, I think it’s a great location, and I hope it does what it’s intended to do because I believe it will make for a really nice community. Like I keep saying, I still picture Sundays when everybody gets up, knows all their neighbors, gets a cup of coffee, and walks outside to what was the first hole of the original village course. All of your neighbors will be people you know, and the kids will be familiar faces too. It’ll be great, and I just hope it works out the way we’re picturing it.
RS: You know, it should. There is not a penny coming from government sources; these are all privately funded by the owner of the golf courses. His generosity is unbelievable. I’m not quite sure of the cost of the development, but these homes have been shipped over from Japan, courtesy of Daiwa House, one of the largest modular home builders in Japan.
A lot of logistics were involved in working with shipping companies to get these homes from Japan. All the homes are here; about half are erected, and the rest are soon to follow.
BS: So many people have helped. One of them was Lars Wernars from Cutting Edge Development.
RS: Yeah.
BS: Without him, it would have been hard to keep moving forward. He really put in a lot of time and energy.
RS: Adam Kaspersky, the architect.
BS: That’s right.
RS: He’s been amazing.
BS: His father passed away, didn’t he?
RS: Yeah. His father was one of the fire victims. But Adam has just been unbelievable.
BS: He’s done so much to make this happen. He’s an amazing architect and a dedicated citizen. Lars and Larissa’s business has contributed a lot, and many of their people have stepped in to help. While everyone did get paid, it wasn’t what they should have been paid in my opinion.
A lot of what was done was for the community and Lahaina. It was done because Roy Sakamoto wanted it to be done; he wanted his client to be happy. If we can get everyone from golf to end up with a home right there at Kapalua, it will have a five-year lifespan.
While still small, these are nice homes. Many people are living with children in tiny one-bedroom places. These homes may be small, but they are still homes. They have windows and offer views. It’s great, and we’re going to be okay.
RS: We’ve had a chance to tour the finished homes and see the various floor plans. They’re going to offer great living conditions—absolutely great.
BS: You know, we could live there. I’m happy that we don’t have to, but if we had been offered this setup, especially with a washer and dryer and all the amenities, we would have been really happy living there, particularly on a golf course. I’ve been here almost 50 years and remember when my daughter Julie and I had five kids between us—Roy had four, and I had one. We all lived in smaller places at different times, but we managed just fine.
RS: Yes.
BS: Yeah.
RS: I’ve got to say big kudos to Governor Green. The governor was very, very instrumental in helping us through all the various permitting processes.
BS: That’s great. That’s great to hear.
RS: And again, not a cent of public funds, government funds are being used.
BS: That means a lot to everyone because, while the government is undoubtedly spending a lot of money on various aspects due to the fire, it’s something we must address as a community. We need to take care of our people, and it’s very challenging for everyone today.
RS: Right. We can look back and examine the reasons for the lack of affordable housing. Years ago, developers were required to contribute a certain amount of money per unit to an affordable housing fund.
BS: Whatever happened to that?
RS: It all went into the general fund and was spent. So, while there’s plenty of blame to go around, a significant part should fall on the county for not building affordable housing over the past 20 to 30 years. Obviously, it wasn’t built. So, what happened to these funds?
BS: Well, as you say, the blame game doesn’t help. There are many reasons for the current situation.
RS: We’ve got to move on.
BS: That’s right. We need to move forward. But I do believe there were good intentions behind creating more affordable housing. Unfortunately, people ended up doubling or tripling up in one place. While that worked to some extent, it wasn’t ideal for everyone. People generally need their own space, especially when they have children.
There should have been more consideration for this. Also, there was the issue where someone would start a small development, and then the buyers would sell and move on. While they had the right to do that, it wasn’t always beneficial for the community. They bought the property, made a profit, and might have moved back to where they originally came from.
It wasn’t the best situation for the community, but there were homes built. We could name some developments, but it’s irrelevant now. The key issue was that the effort to continue building didn’t happen.
RS: It didn’t happen.
BS: Anyway, Maui is still the best.
RS: Oh, no question. Absolutely.
BS: It’s Maui.
RS: That’s why we live here.
BS: Exactly, that’s why we live here.
RS: Yeah.
BS: And we’re not leaving. Every so often, I look at it and feel like we might not see Lahaina fully rebuilt. We’re both around 80 and while progress is being made, I only realized the other day that someone mentioned it could take at least ten years.
Okay, I guess that’s fine, but it’s moving quickly. It will be hard to see it completed in our lifetime, but I want to see it and hope it turns out as well as possible. Hopefully, we can be a part of that.
RS: Oh, absolutely. We’ll dance our way down Front Street.
BS: We will dance down Front Street. Do you remember the last time your dad was there? There was a parade on Front Street. What was that for?
RS: That was the 150th anniversary of Lahainaluna.
BS: Right. That was really special because Roy’s dad graduated from Lahainaluna. I don’t remember the exact year, but we have his diploma at our house.
RS: I think it was 1929.
BS: You graduated in 1960, right?
RS: Yes.
BS: We’ve done our best to support Lahainaluna High School. It’s a great school and important for our community. The scholarships this year, due to the fires, will allow more kids from Lahainaluna to attend college than ever before.
RS: Yes, it’s something like 80 or 85%.
BS: That’s unprecedented.
RS: Yes. The latest was a donation through the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Lahaina Strong Fund.
BS: Right, the Maui Strong Lahaina Strong Fund.
RS: Right. Through the Downtown Athletic Club of Hawaii, Keith Amamiya, who you know has been at the forefront of helping Lahaina and Lahainaluna, deserves a big Mahalo. Keith was able to get the Lahainaluna football captains to the Super Bowl, along with the three coaches who attended. They’ve done so much for Lahainaluna.
RS: It’s unbelievable.
BS: If anyone missed it, when the kids were in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl—it wasn’t Honolulu, it was Las Vegas—it was amazing that the Lahainaluna kids got to be part of it.
RS: A total chicken-skin moment.
BS: Absolutely. It was a day we’ll never forget, and the kids won’t either. I hope these kids will have a great future in Lahaina or wherever they go. If they get to go to college, many will probably stay away from other jobs, but a lot will return because it’s home. Hopefully, the new Lahaina will offer more good jobs, and the community will be strong—just as strong as the vision for Lahaina.
RS: We need to keep our young people.
BS: Absolutely. We need to keep our young people. We do have many properties to discuss, but is there anything else worth talking about right now? There are so many people who made a difference.
We should compile a list of those who made a significant impact during and after the fires and discuss it in our next show. Let’s not forget the amazing thing you did; I still think it was incredible.
RS: Yeah. Archie Kalepa has done fantastic work for the Lahaina community.
BS: He’s amazing. Archie Kalepa—remember, he was Julie’s classmate, right?
RS: Yes. So many people are helping; it’s unbelievable. It’s been a community effort and really heartwarming. Sometimes it takes a tragedy like this to bring a community together, and we’re seeing that. Absolutely. There are still factions out there causing issues, but the Lahaina community has become stronger and more unified. Hopefully, we can use this to move forward.
BS: I hope so, too. It seems like things are getting stronger. Many people have already moved for various reasons, and that just happened. But I believe people are staying and will make Lahaina great again, however, it comes together.
RS: Yeah, I think economically we’re taking a hit. Projections indicate that this will continue in the near future. However, as Maui and Lahaina reopen, I believe we will come back really strong. If we focus on the historical aspects of Lahaina rather than just the $20 for three Puka shell necklaces and concentrate on restoring historic areas like Mokuʻula Island, the Pioneer Inn, and the Old Courthouse at the harbor. We can preserve the essence of Lahaina.
These are all significant reminders of Lahaina’s history. I recall there was a movement in the 1960s to designate Lahaina as a historic site. I’m not sure what ever happened with that.
BS: I’m not sure either.
RS: That push should begin again.
BS: Mokuʻula Island is an interesting topic. Can you give a brief explanation for those who might not know what it was or what it meant?
RS: Mokuʻula Island was the summer home of King Kamehameha. It’s across from 505 Front Street, where the old Armory in Lahaina used to be. Before the fire, it was a ballpark and tennis courts. There’s now a movement to restore Mokuʻula Island as a historical landmark for Lahaina. I hope it succeeds. We’ve donated funds for this, and hope others will too.
BS: In the parking garage at 505 Front Street, there’s fresh water in the basement. They say this is fresh water.
RS: The idea is that the fire rejuvenated the natural springs in the area, causing flooding in the subterranean parking at 505 Front Street. It’s a good sign to see the little canals around Mokuʻula Island full of water.
BS: I think Lahaina is coming back and will come back strong. We all need to hope and pray for that and work to make it happen. The young people will adapt and move on, and the community will rebuild. Mokuʻula Island will make a major difference.
RS: Seeing 80 to 85% of Lahainaluna graduates continuing to college is huge. They’ve never seen numbers like this before. It takes a village and a statewide effort to restore Lahaina. Thanks to the Downtown Athletic Club of Hawai’i and the Hawai’i Community Foundation. It’s amazing. It takes a collective effort from many people.
BS: The Lahainaluna kids who are going to college now had difficulties before, even with funding. Now they have financial support and a chance to attend college, which will help them return to a revitalized Lahaina in the future. We’re down to a one-minute warning.
RS: We didn’t get to discuss real estate.
BS: Contact Roy and Betty Sakamoto at 808-870-7060 or check the Coldwell Banker website or SakamotoProperties.com. Aloha and thank you to Danny Couch.
RS: Aloha.
