Editorial: Kakaako’s renovation revs up

Like huge jigsaw pieces in the redevelopment puzzle that is Kakaako, projects are plunking down and an overall picture is, slowly but steadily, materializing. 

One of the newest pieces is green and public, a needed complement to the gleaming high-rises that have sprung up recently. Master-plan developer Howard Hughes Corp. has replaced the Marukai store ewa of the Ward theaters with a 1.5-acre patch of public space, to be dubbed Victoria Ward Park when it opens in January. The park itself will be part of a 3-acre public plaza in the heart of Howard Hughes’ new neighborhood of 16 residential towers and 1 million square feet of retail space. Said exec Simon Treacy this week: “This will become the new center of Ward Village, and it’s for everyone.”

Next month, “everyone” will have a chance to weigh in on proposed pedestrian overpasses that will connect the plaza to other neighborhood points, such as Ala Moana Beach Park, a planned rail station and future condo towers.

The dates of these community input sessions have yet to be determined, but they will be worth attending to help shape the lay of this new land. The elevated walkways are proposed over Auahi Street, Ala Moana Boulevard and Ward Avenue, and will need to be approved by the Hawaii Community Development Authority. The designs remain to be seen, but one thing is certain: the area will be very changed from what it looks like now.