COURTESY STUDIO GANG
The proposed 400-foot condominium tower Ko‘ula at Ward Village, according to developer Howard Hughes Corp., was designed to evoke waving stalks of sugar cane.
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Public hearings are set
to begin June 6 on a new 570-unit Kakaako tower proposed by Ward Village developer Howard Hughes Corp.
A state board regulating development in Kakaako will consider a development permit next month for what would be the eighth condominium tower built by Hughes Corp. as part of its master plan for 65 acres known as Ward Village.
The proposed Ward Village tower is designed with 570 units and is named Ko‘ula, which means “red sugar cane.” Ko‘ula is the name of a street in Kakaako and was a section of land within the 19th-century estate of Curtis and Victoria Ward that covered around 100 acres and today includes Ward Village, Blaisdell Center and other sites.
The Hawaii Community Development Authority has scheduled an initial public hearing for June 6 at its office at 547 Queen St. The time has not been set yet.
Hughes Corp. is seeking one deviation from HCDA guidelines that call for the base of towers — typically a wide podium containing parking, commercial spaces, a recreation deck and sometimes homes — to rise no more than 45 feet. The developer is seeking a 75-foot base that it said will allow it to put retail shops, restaurants and residences around the sides of a thinner yet taller parking structure instead of having a less attractive base with only parking.
HCDA in recent years has permitted Hughes Corp. and other developers to build tower bases between 65 and 75 feet.
Following the June 6 hearing, HCDA will hold a separate public hearing to consider the podium height request June 13. A decision on a development permit is slated for an Aug. 1 board meeting.
