The Howard Hughes Corp. will present plans this fall to replace the existing Ward Warehouse shopping center in Honolulu with a new 236-unit residential high-rise project that includes two towers, as well as commercial and recreation space as part of its second phase of its Ward Village master plan, the head of the Hawaii agency overseeing the redevelopment of the Honolulu neighborhood of Kakaako told PBN.
Anthony Ching, executive director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority, said that the Texas-based developer also has plans to build another condo tower at the corner site of the existing Old Spaghetti Factory, completing the entire replacement of the 115,000-square-foot Ward Warehouse, which was opened in 1975 by Victoria Ward Ltd. and is the current home to dozens of small businesses.
Race Randle, senior director of development for The Howard Hughes Corp. (NYSE: HHC), told PBN in an email that, consistent with its approved master plan, the developer is continuing its long-term planning efforts for the entire property to make Ward Village an integrated, sustainable master-planned community that will continue to be a gathering place for Honolulu.
Ward Warehouse tenants react to Howard Hughes plans to redevelop Honolulu center
“We are still early in the planning process for phase two and there are no immediate plans for Ward Warehouse,” he said. “Ward Warehouse will continue to be open and at such time as we are ready to proceed with redevelopment, we will work closely with our tenants to assist them in relocating within Ward Village or to another location in the area.”
Ching said that The Howard Hughes Corp.’s Ward Village master-plan calls for a potential of four towers — all with unobstructed views of the ocean overlooking the Kewalo Basin small boat harbor — for the Ward Warehouse site, as well as an urban park.
The HCDA has scheduled an Oct. 1 presentation hearing at noon at its office at 461 Cooke St. in Kakaako with two other hearings following the initial one for The Howard Hughes Corp.’s first Ward Warehouse condo project that includes two towers.
Located at 1050 Ala Moana Blvd., the address for Ward Warehouse, the two towers will rest on separate platform structures and have a combined total of 236 residential units, about 19,730-square-feet of commercial space, 42,178-square-feet of ground level open space, 80,242-square-feet of indoor and outdoor recreation space and 548 parking stalls.
The developer is asking the HCDA, which oversees the redevelopment of Kakaako, for four modifications, including to increase the maximum platform height to 65 feet with an allowance of an additional 15 feet in height for 15 percent of the roof area that will be used for accessory uses.
This project is part of The Howard Hughes Corp.’s second phase of its Ward Village plan, which planned to add more than 900 units in the first phase, which includes two mixed-use high-rises called Anaha and Waiea.
A third tower is in the works, which will be a mostly affordable residential tower with 415 units at 404 Ward Ave., the space where the former Kanpai Bar & Grill occupied, as well as California Beach Rock ‘N Sushi.
The Howard Hughes Corp. also is expected to present its plans soon for another mixed-use project as part of its second phase, which incorporates the new Whole Foods Market that will cover the entire block at Queen and Kamakee streets.
“The Whole Foods project was supposed to start the entitlement process in the third or fourth quarter of this year,” Ching said.