The City and County of Honolulu is moving forward in its efforts bring more housing to O‘ahu, choosing nonprofit developer Pacific Housing Assistance Corp. as its “preferred negotiating partner” to build an affordable, disability-forward workforce housing community on city-owned land at 130 S. Beretania St.
The 30,376-square-foot Downtown Honolulu property is bordered by Pali Highway, South Beretania Street and Fort Street, the city said in an announcement Monday. It’s an open space with no standing structures, located across Pali Highway from Pacific Honda and behind the Central Fire Station.
“The site’s central location — close to jobs, transit and essential services — makes it especially well-suited for workforce housing,” Kevin Auger, director-designate of the city’s Department of Housing and Land Management, told Aloha State Daily via email.
The site also offers access to major bus routes and Skyline rail’s planned Downtown station, Kuloloia, the announcement noted.
According to the city, Pacific Housing has developed, or is developing, 62 affordable housing communities across the Islands for families, seniors and people with disabilities since it was founded in 1980, and it currently manages 15 affordable developments in the state.
Lanakila Pacific, an organization founded more than 85 years ago that aims to build independence and improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and seniors, will join as the co-developer, the announcement noted.
“Early concept studies suggest the property could support a mid-rise development, and Pacific Housing Assistance Corp. and Lanakila Pacific have proposed reserving a portion of the units for residents with disabilities,” Auger told ASD. “The final design, including unit count and configuration, will be shaped through the community engagement process. The city’s goal is to balance accessibility, livability and thoughtful urban design while contributing to the revitalization of Downtown Honolulu.”
According to the city, Pacific Housing and Lanakila Pacific hosted an initial community listening session that was attended by more than 50 people on Oct. 21. A second meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Nov. 12 in the Von Holt room at The Cathedral of St. Andrew. The city says that input from these meetings, as well as a future public hearing before the Honolulu City Council, “will help shape the project’s final design and scope.”
“Residents with disabilities face some of the greatest barriers in Honolulu’s housing market — whether due to accessibility challenges, limited supportive services or a lack of affordable options that allow for independent living,” Auger says. “A disability-forward approach means designing inclusively from the beginning, rather than modifying later. It ensures that homes, amenities and shared spaces are accessible, and that residents can live, work and participate in the community with dignity.”
Find more information on the project at 130sberetania.org.
The selection of a “preferred negotiating partner” for this property comes about nine months after the city 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.
This summer, EAH Housing was chosen as the "preferred negotiating partner" for the redevelopment of 436 Ena Road and Centre Urban Real Estate as the "preferred negotiating partner" for the redevelopment of 1615 Ala Wai Blvd.
The city, which acquired 1615 Ala Wai through condemnation in January 2024, demolished the existing, dilapidated apartment building that once sat there.
Auger says that DHLM is in the final stages of review for the 1421 Pensacola site and the city expects to announce the selected partner for that redevelopment project before the end of the year.
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.
Auger says the city has issued RFQs for a total of eight properties so far this year and may issue one or two more before year-end, “consistent with the strategic housing priorities outlined in January.”
As for what lies ahead in 2026, Auger says that next year, “DHLM will focus on completing development agreements and ground leases for these sites and exploring financing structures beyond traditional Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to accelerate delivery.”
(And ICYMI: Pacific Housing is also the developer of Nā Hale Makoa in Hawai‘i Island’s Waikoloa Village. Waitlist applications for that project are being accepted through Nov. 17. Read more about that here).
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
