A Waikīkī property where a long-abandoned apartment building sat is now empty and its redevelopment has taken another step forward.
The City and County of Honolulu has selected Centre Urban Real Estate as its "preferred negotiating partner" for the redevelopment of 1615 Ala Wai Blvd.
The city, which acquired the property through condemnation in January 2024, demolished the existing, dilapidated building to make way for a future affordable housing development.
Demolition began earlier this month and is on track to be finished by the first week of August — weeks ahead of schedule, the city said in an announcement Thursday. The site is already largely cleared.
Kevin Auger, director-designate of the city's Department of Housing and Land Management, told Aloha State Daily in an emailed response to questions that per the request for qualification issued by the city, the “negotiating partner” designation "initiates an exclusive negotiation period but does not obligate the city to enter into any agreement. It allows the city to begin structured discussions with the selected team to finalize deal terms, while reserving the right to cancel or reopen negotiations if it is in the city’s best interest."
Centre Urban Real Estate and the city now have 120 days to finalize a development agreement and ground lease, he said.
"After that, the project will move into predevelopment, which includes community engagement, design development, entitlements and permitting," Auger explained. "Securing financing will also be a critical next step. Construction timing is contingent upon the completion of these key milestones, so it’s too early to project a definitive start date at this stage."
Built in 1949, the apartment sat empty for more than two decades and had become "a magnet for blight, vandalism and trespassing" as well a source of "long-standing community concern," the city said in a July 9 announcement.
The selection of a development partner is an "exciting new chapter" for the property, Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in the announcement.
“We have taken this site from decades of vacancy and blight to a point where we can now reimagine its future," he continued. "This project represents our administration’s commitment to delivering housing that serves local residents and strengthens our communities. Just as importantly, we are committed to engaging with the Waikīkī community every step of the way to make sure we get this right for the people who live and work here.”
According to the city, Centre Urban Real Estate is a "vertically integrated real estate firm focused on urban infill and workforce housing."
Principal Martin Nguyen said in the announcement that the firm is "honored" to partner with the city on the redevelopment.
“As a local boy, I’m especially proud to be part of a team bringing forward a vision that reflects the natural evolution of the 1940s-era walk-up that has long stood on this site — an opportunity to pay homage to the past while addressing the pressing housing needs of today," he continued. "We are committed to being rightful stewards of this transformation, delivering high-quality, affordable housing in Waikīkī, the economic engine of Honolulu. We look forward to working closely with DHLM and the Waikīkī community throughout this journey.”
Partnering with the development community to build housing on city-owned lands is one of the components of a strategic housing plan the city unveiled earlier this year. You can find the plan here.
Around the time the plan was announced, Honolulu issued a request for qualifications for the redevelopment of four underutilized city-owned properties into affordable rental projects: 1615 Ala Wai Blvd., 436 Ena Road, 130 S. Beretania St.; and 1421 Pensacola St.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
