Most of the Ward Warehouse retail center in Kakaako could be demolished in the second half of 2015 to make way for two condominium towers as part of a second phase of residential development at Ward Centers.
Landowner and developer Howard Hughes Corp. has submitted a permit application to the Hawaii Community Development Authority seeking approval to replace much of Ward Warehouse with two high-rises.
The project also would include low-rise townhomes fronting Ala Moana Boulevard, retail space along Auahi Street and public open space that includes a waterway between the two towers, the application said.
HCDA, a state agency governing development in Kakaako, has scheduled three public hearings on the project for October and December.
Hughes Corp. indicated in May during an Ala Moana-Kakaako Neighborhood Board meeting that it intended to seek permits this year for the two towers on the site as well as a third tower just Ewa of the Ward Entertainment Center theaters and a fourth tower next to a recently announced Whole Foods store mauka of the theaters.
The Texas-based developer already has three towers with 915 combined units approved. So far, construction has started on one luxury tower called Waiea in which the grand penthouse is going for just under $100 million, according to one future resident who bought a unit in the building.
Given the proximity of Waiea, which is immediately Diamond Head of Ward Warehouse, it is likely the two new towers will have luxury prices and features.
The planned tower adjacent to the 400-foot Waiea is designed to be 28 stories rising 311 feet with 123 units. The other tower is designed to be 400 feet tall with 35 stories and 113 units.
Hughes Corp. said in its application that unit sales in the two towers could begin in the first half of next year, followed by construction in the second half of the year if permits aren’t hung up.
The developer is asking for a few mostly minor deviations from HCDA rules, including using an average 15-foot building setback on Ala Moana instead of a uniform 15-foot setback, and increasing how far a pedestrian shade canopy may extend into a front yard area to 10 feet from 4 feet.
Hughes Corp. is also seeking to build a parking garage topped by an amenity deck 65 feet high. That is the current height limit for such structures, but Hughes Corp. is locked into a prior 40-foot limit under a master plan approved by HCDA in 2009 and covering 60 acres envisioned for up to 22 residential towers.
The first public hearing on the two proposed towers will be held Oct. 1 at noon and will include a detailed presentation about the plan.
A hearing to consider the requested rule deviations is scheduled for Oct. 2 at 9 a.m.
A third hearing at which the agency’s board is expected to make a decision is slated for Dec. 3 at noon.
All hearings will be in HCDA’s office conference room at 461 Cooke St. and include an opportunity for the public to comment.
Anyone wishing to participate in the hearings as an intervenor with the ability to introduce expert witnesses and cross-examine experts retained by the developer must file a formal motion to do so with HCDA by Sept. 2.
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