May 7, 2014, 6:30am HST UPDATED: May 7, 2014, 1:07pm HST
New Whole Foods Market in Kakaako will be part of larger commercial and residential development
Duane Shimogawa Reporter – Pacific Business News
The flagship Whole Foods Market planned for Ward Village in Honolulu’s Kakaako neighborhood will be part of a new mixed-use development by The Howard Hughes Corp. that will cover the entire block at Queen and Kamakee streets, a company spokesman told PBN.
Nick Vanderboom, senior vice president of development for the Texas-based developer, who is based in Hawaii, told PBN that construction of the retail and residential spaces may be done in phases. He said he could not provide more details about the residential component, which likely will include high-rise condominiums.
The project would be in addition to the two ultra-luxury condominium high-rises— Anaha and Waiea — that are being planned for the area and also are being developed by The Howard Hughes Corp.
On Tuesday, Whole Foods Market said in its quarterly earnings report that it will open a fourth store in Hawaii, and its third on Oahu, as part of its future growth and development plans throughout the U.S.
The new Honolulu store will be located in the space currently occupied by an Office Depot and a former Nordstrom Rack behind the Ward Theatres complex. The 50,000-square-foot store, which will be the company’s largest location in the state, is slated to begin construction next year and be completed in 2017.
Last year, The Howard Hughes Corp. began the transformation of Ward Centers into Ward Village, an urban master-planned community that will include approximately 4,000 residential units and more than 1 million square feet of retail and commercial space.