Kakaako projects retooled for better

For the proposed 803 Waimanu residential building in Kakaako, the second time still might not be the charm — but it looks a lot more palatable than the first go-round.

The project being proposed by developer Franco Mola of MJF Development Corp. has been substantially downsized after it ran into staunch opposition — rightly so — for its audacious scale, asking for variances from required setback zones and height limits.

And it wasn’t just neighbors who stood to lose views who objected; board members of the decision-making Hawaii Community Development Authority also were poised to reject the proposal, causing Mola to withdraw it.

Now, 803 Waimanu has been scaled back dramatically, from 27 stories to a seven-story midrise tower, and its 192 residential units have been cut to 153 units, with 91 parking stalls. In an initial HCDA hearing last week, Mola promised the units would still be moderately priced — mostly studios, either for sale or rent. All would be priced for people earning no more than 120 percent of Honolulu’s median income: up to $82,320 for a single person or $94,080 for a couple.

Certainly, units are needed: Hawaii’s workforce bloc has shown hunger for housing near downtown. Just a couple of blocks away, for example, the 801 South St. condo tower coming up behind the old News Building quickly sold out its 635 units. Similar to Mola’s target group, buyers here had an income limit of $84,574 for a single person, or up to $120,820 for a family of four.

So there’s no denying the pent-up demand for moderate-cost housing. That’s why, in fact, the HCDA created its "workforce housing" policy to give developers extra density for projects with at least three-quarters of units priced for those earning 140 percent or less of Hono­lulu median income.

But just because there is that need, that hunger, for urban housing doesn’t absolve developers of their responsibility for quality proposals. There must be balance — smart planning for quality of life — both for those buying into a new project and for a community’s existing denizens.

Mola’s first attempt at 803 Waimanu tried to shoehorn a 250-foot-tall, 27-story tower onto a half-acre industrial site currently capped at a 65-foot height. That initial proposal also came within 40 feet of an adjacent Imperial Plaza tower — the required minimum setback is 80 feet — so all that drew fire from area residents. A petition was launched, district lawmakers expressed concerns, and that led HCDA staff to conclude that the height and spacing of the initially proposed 803 Waimanu would have "significant adverse effects" on the neighborhood. When the developer withdrew that bid, it was a proper end to an ill-conceived project.

Now, due to his ostentatious first attempt, Mola will need to overcome a lingering mistrust of this proposal. Already, area residents are criticizing the revised project, calling for analyses of traffic, sewer, water and other infrastructure impacts. The HCDA assures there is adequate infrastructure to support the building’s density; still, there is valid overall concern over periodic sewer odors in Kakaako.

Kakaako residents and the HCDA, in vetting this revised proposal, will need to be convinced that it will be a compatible neighbor and benefit this community, as well as how it will help ease the backlog for housing in the city core. If Mola has indeed found a way to stay within development rules and still provide a quality project, he deserves a fair chance to gain support for it.