Ground Broken on Hawaii's Largest Public Housing Redevelopment at Mayor Wright Homes

State officials and community leaders held a groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday for the first phase of the Mayor Wright Homes redevelopment, the largest public housing project in Hawaii's history. The 15-acre site sits in the Kalihi-Palama neighborhood near downtown Honolulu.

The Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority and developer Highridge Costa are replacing the nearly 75-year-old complex, which is bounded by King Street, Liliha Street and Vineyard Boulevard. Organizers say the new development will contain seven times as many homes as the current one and will serve a mix of incomes rather than only very low-income residents.

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

Plans call for more than 2,400 new rental homes ranging from studios to five-bedroom units, along with public housing units, condominiums for sale and commercial space. All of it will be spread across 10 towers.

More than half of the units will be set aside for tenants earning less than 80% of area median income. Later phases will extend to households earning up to 100% of area median income, which is roughly $150,000 a year for a family of four. Current Mayor Wright residents who are displaced by construction are being relocated and will have priority to return.

Gov. Josh Green described the project as central 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, praised the state for taking on an initiative of this size, saying, "What we are building here is a legacy."

Ouansafi said residents deserve safe, modern homes in communities where poverty is not concentrated. "Public housing should never mean second class housing," he said.

The housing authority estimates Phase 1A will cost $333 million. The state's 2017 estimate for the entire project was $1.3 billion. The development will also include four acres of public parks and recreational space, and it is designed to be within walking distance of the planned Iwilei rail station.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi tied the project to the arrival of the Skyline rail line, calling the combination historic and unprecedented for affordable housing. The first building is scheduled to open in 2029, and the full redevelopment is expected to take 15 years. Further information is available at mayorwrighthomes.com.