$333 million first phase of Kalihi housing rebuild breaks ground

Highridge Costa and the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority began the first construction phase at the Mayor Wright Homes site on Thursday. The 15-acre parcel is located in the Kalihi-Palama neighborhood, bordered by King Street, Liliha Street, and Vineyard Boulevard. The developer and the housing authority are replacing a complex built nearly 75 years ago with a new mixed-income development.

The state estimated the total cost of the project at $1.3 billion in 2017. The current phase, labeled 1A, carries an estimated price tag of $333 million. Organizers stated that the new development will hold seven times as many homes as the current site. The project will serve a wider range of income levels than the original public housing complex.

Plans for the redevelopment include more than 2,400 rental units. These range from studios to five-bedroom apartments. The site will also feature public housing units, condominiums for sale, and commercial space distributed across ten towers. More than half of the units are reserved for tenants earning below 80% of the area median income. Later phases will include housing for households earning up to 100% of the area median income, which equals roughly $150,000 annually for a family of four.

Hakim Ouansafi, executive director of the housing authority, described the ceremony as a step toward changing how the state handles housing. “It is not simply about breaking ground. It is about breaking barriers,” Ouansafi said. He noted that the state cannot rely on past methods to solve future housing issues. Ouansafi added that public housing should not mean second-class housing and that residents deserve safe, modern homes in communities without concentrated poverty.

Gov. Josh Green called the project central to the state’s housing strategy. “Housing provides health,” Green said, explaining that stable housing allows residents to focus on education, food security, and medical care. Moe Mohanna, president of Highridge Costa Development Company, said the state took on a major initiative. “What we are building here is a legacy,” Mohanna said.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi linked the project to the upcoming Skyline rail line. He described the combination of rail and affordable housing as historic. The design places the development within walking distance of the planned Iwilei rail station. The site will include four acres of public parks and recreational space. Current residents displaced by construction are being relocated and will have priority to return.

The first building is scheduled to open in 2029. The full redevelopment is expected to take 15 years to complete. The housing authority directed further questions to mayorwrighthomes.com.