Mayor Wright Homes Redevelopment Phase 1A, Kalihi-Palama, Honolulu

Hawaii’s largest public housing redevelopment finally has a hole in the ground. On Oct. 22, the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and developer Highridge Costa broke ground on Phase 1A of the Mayor Wright Homes redevelopment in Honolulu’s Kalihi-Palama neighborhood, a 30-story tower with 308 rental apartments that kicks off a master plan for 2,448 homes on the 15-acre site.

Mayor Wright Homes opened in 1953. Today it’s 364 public housing units spread across 35 two- and three-story walk-ups on a block bounded by North King Street, Liliha Street and Vineyard Boulevard, on the edge of downtown. The complex was last renovated in 1984, and HPHA’s first attempt to redevelop it fell apart after a developer selected in 2014 backed out.

Project Scope

Phase 1A replaces 64 units in eight low-rise buildings on one corner of the property with a single high-rise. Every apartment except two manager units is reserved for low-income households, and displaced residents have been relocated with a right to return. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser put the first tower at $260 million, while HPHA’s estimate cited by Hawaii News Now is $333 million. HHFDC awarded private activity bonds, 4% tax credits and Rental Housing Revolving Fund money to the phase.

The full build-out is 10 towers ranging from 87 to 350 feet, delivered in four phases under Honolulu’s 201H approvals. The plan includes about 54,000 square feet of commercial and community space, roughly 3,400 parking stalls and 1,500 bike spaces. Of the 2,448 units, 2,177 are affordable rentals for households at or below 100% of area median income, 152 are affordable for-sale homes and 101 are market-rate for-sale condos. Rental affordability runs 75 years. Phase 1B, about 250 units, is already permitted and waiting on tax credits.

The first building is scheduled to open in 2029. The full redevelopment is expected to take 10 to 15 years, depending on how fast tax credit allocations come.

Why It Matters

Mayor Wright is the test case for Ka Lei Momi, HPHA’s plan to rebuild nine public housing sites into more than 10,000 homes using Highridge Costa as master developer. If a 30-story LIHTC tower can be financed and built on schedule here, the same model goes to the other eight sites.

It’s also transit-oriented in a real sense. The property sits within walking distance of the planned Iwilei station on Honolulu’s Skyline rail line, which makes the density easier to defend. And swapping 364 walk-up units for nearly 2,450 homes on the same state-owned land is about as efficient a use of public property as Honolulu’s going to find.

Project Team & Details