Kalihi Tower Rebuild Clears First Shovel

Officials from the Hawai'i Public Housing Authority and developer Highridge Costa broke ground Thursday on the first stage of the Mayor Wright Homes replacement, a 15-acre site in Kalihi-Palama bounded by King Street, Liliha Street and Vineyard Boulevard. The existing complex dates to nearly 75 years ago.

Phase 1A carries a $333 million price tag, according to the housing authority. The state put the full build at $1.3 billion in a 2017 estimate. Plans add up to more than 2,400 rental homes, from studios through five-bedroom units, alongside public housing, condominiums offered for sale, and commercial space, arranged across 10 towers. Four acres will be set aside for parks and recreation, and the site sits within walking distance of the planned Iwilei rail station.

Hakim Ouansafi, executive director of the housing authority, said the ceremony marked more than a ceremonial first shovel. "It's not simply about breaking ground. It is about breaking barriers," he said. He added that the state cannot address future housing problems by relying on past approaches.

Gov. Josh Green tied the build to the state's housing strategy. "Housing provides health," he said, noting that people with stable housing can focus on education, food security and health care. Moe Mohanna, president of Highridge Costa Development Company, said, "What we are building here is a legacy." Ouansafi said residents deserve safe, modern homes in communities where poverty is not concentrated, adding, "Public housing should never mean second class housing."

More than half of the units will be reserved for tenants earning under 80% of area median income. Later stages will open to households at up to 100% of area median income, a figure the housing authority puts at roughly $150,000 a year for a family of four. Current Mayor Wright residents displaced by construction are being relocated and hold priority to return.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi linked the project to the arrival of the Skyline rail line. The first building is scheduled to open in 2029, and the full redevelopment is expected to run 15 years.

The housing authority has posted details at mayorwrighthomes.com.