Hawai'i Community Development Authority

Pacific Business News

HCDA seeks developer for Kakaako senior housing project

The Hawaii Community Development Authority has plans for a new supportive affordable housing development for seniors in Kakaako at 568 South St.

The Hawaii Community Development Authority is seeking a developer for a new supportive affordable housing development for seniors in Kakaako, at 568 South St., at the corner of South and Halekauwila streets in a vacant plot owned by HCDA.

The development, anticipated to provide up to 50 studio and one-bedroom units, will be for seniors earning at or below 140% of the Area Median Income, which for a household of two in Honolulu is $170,240. Different than standard affordable senior housing, a supportive development is designed for seniors who need assistance and features supportive services and amenities.

HCDA is in the process of selecting a developer for the project. At the next HCDA and Kakaako board meeting scheduled for Wednesday, HCDA Executive Director Craig Nakamoto will ask for authorization to solicit a statement of qualifications from developers. If the authorization is granted, solicitations will go out to developers in January, and Nakamoto hopes HCDA can select a developer by mid-2026, he told Pacific Business News.

The state has appropriated more than $34 million in Capital Improvement Project funds for planning, design and construction of the project, $5.5 million of which will be distributed for fiscal year 2025-2026, and $29.45 million for FY 2026-2027, according to the HCDA Supportive Housing Staff Report. The development will be built all at once rather than in phases and will consist of one building that is five to six stories high, Nakamoto said.

The new development “will allow seniors who need a little bit more assistance than an independent rental project to age in place in the community,” Nakamoto said. “… With the kind of environment that we hope to create, [we envision] that it will keep them independent and keep them from being institutionalized in a higher level of care, like assisted living, or worse, a care home or nursing home. So, it’s a way to keep them as independent as possible.”

The ground floor of the building will include space for supportive services including medical services, meal services, counseling and training, home maintenance, moving assistance, respite care and specialized case management. The exact package of supportive services offered will be created with the chosen developer and will depend on type and availability of funding from Medicaid, Medicare and other programs.

The development will also provide trauma-informed design concepts.

“What it really means is the notion that the design and built environment can really help people stay active, can help stave off Alzheimer’s and other diseases by providing them with a communal space, providing them with an environment that has, for example, plants, natural lighting and places where they can congregate,” Nakamoto said. “So, this trauma-informed design is something we hope to, if it works here, replicate in other projects.”

Parking for residents will be discussed with the developer, Nakamoto said, but the Honolulu rail system will stop right beside the development, which could provide additional transportation.