State board picks plan for ‘micro unit’ housing in Kakaako
A 17-story tower with 104 rental studios providing 300 square feet of living space was selected Wednesday as the preferred plan to build affordable “micro unit” housing on state land in Kakaako.
The board of the Hawaii Community Development Authority chose the plan by a development partnership that includes EAH Housing, Bronx Pro Group LLC and Construction Management & Development Inc.
The board, with a 9-0 vote, picked the project over a competing plan by Mutual Housing Association of Hawaii. A third finalist, Stanford Carr Development, withdrew from the selection process.
HCDA had issued a request for proposals in December to build small efficiency apartments on a 10,409-square-foot lot at 630 Cooke St. near the corner of Queen Street to help address the shortage of affordable housing in Hawaii.
Most of the 104 studios are projected to rent for $750 a month and would be reserved for residents earning no more than $40,300 for a single person, which is 60 percent of the annual median income in Honolulu. Five units would be available for $345 a month to residents earning no more than 30 percent of the median income, or $20,150.