HCDA Green-Lights Ward Village Gateway Project in Kakaako; OliverMcMillan to Develop 400-Unit Residential Community in Kapolei

By Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

The Hawaii Community Development Authority has approved the first residential and commercial development project included in Phase Two of the Ward Village Master Plan in Honolulu, which consists of two high-rise towers with street-level commercial and recreational space.

According to the Pacific Business News, the upcoming Ward Village Gateway mixed-use project proposed by the Howard Hughes Corp. will rise at the site of the existing Ward Warehouse shopping center. The new development will bring a total of 236 residential units in two buildings, a one-acre public park with water elements flowing toward the ocean, public seating, native plants and walking pathways, and approximately 20,000 square feet of retail space along Auahi Street.

A second project in Phase Two is slated to bring a flagship 50,000-square-foot Whole Foods Market and additional retail space to the area.

“The first phase of our master plan is bringing significant economic growth and new community amenities to the neighborhood, furthering our mission of revitalizing and enhancing this growing community,” Nick Vanderboom, senior vice president of development for Ward Village, said in a statement. “The Ward Village Gateway project will connect the community from mauka to makai with the introduction of a new public park, helping to realize our vision for an integrated, sustainable neighborhood that provides a gathering place for all of Honolulu.”

The project will be designed by Richard Meier & Partners in collaboration with executive architect Architects Hawaii and a team of local consultants.

In other news, the Pacific Business News reports that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp.’s board of directors has selected OliverMcMillan Inc. to develop a nearly 27-acre parcel in Kapolei in West Oahu into a 400-unit mixed-use residential complex.

The project is situated at the entryway of the community at the corner of Fort Barrette Road and Farrington Highway.

Upon completion, the new residences will be priced for households with incomes of less than 140 percent of the area median income. Plans also call for 154,000 square feet of retail space, 6,300 square feet of office space, community amenities and park areas.

The San Diego-based developer is also building the Symphony Honolulu condominium tower across from the Neal S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

Photo credit: The Howard Hughes Corp.

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