Hawaii agency denies appeals of development permits for two Kakaako condominiums

California developer Franco Mola's MJF Development Corp. expects to move forward on the 803 Waimanu St. project in Kakaako, following the Hawaii Community Development Authority's denial of an appeal regarding a development permit.
California developer Franco Mola’s MJF Development Corp. expects to move forward on the 803 Waimanu St. project in Kakaako, following the Hawaii Community Development Authority’s denial of an appeal regarding a development permit.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority, the state agency in charge of overseeing the redevelopment of Kakaako, on Wednesday denied an appeal for a development permit that was issued for the 803 Waimanu St. condominium, essentially moving the project forward.

Giovanni Mola, a spokesman for MJF Development Corp. and son of California developer Franco Mola, told PBN that the company is pleased with the HCDA’s decision regarding its 803 Waimanu St. project, which consists of a 65-foot seven-story building with 153 market-priced residential units and includes a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units.

“[We] hope we can finally move on with our project,” he said.

The development also will have a mechanized ground-floor parking system with 92 parking stalls.

The HCDA held an initial public hearing regarding the project in November.

PBN first reported that Mola submitted a scaled-down proposal for the 803 Waimanu St. project in August. His original plan, which was withdrawn in July, called for 217 workforce units in a 250-foot tower.

Another appeal was denied by the HCDA Wednesday regarding the development permit for the second tower of the 801 South St. affordable condominium project, which was put on hold after a judge said the agency did not follow correct procedures before approving the 410-unit building.

An HCDA spokeswoman told PBN that court case is still ongoing and is a separate issue from Wednesday’s denial.

Construction on the building, being developed by Downtown Capital LLC, has not yet started, officials said. The HCDA approved the project in December.

Duane Shimogawa Reporter – Pacific Business News