Howard Hughes Corp. Receives Whole Foods Approval in Hawaii
Phase Two of The Howard Hughes Corp.’s Ward Village Master Plan has the green light to proceed. The new building will include a Whole Foods grocery store, new retail space and homes for local residents.
By Robin Nathanson, Associate Editor
Honolulu—Phase Two of The Howard Hughes Corporation’s Ward Village Master Plan has the green light to proceed. The new building will include a Whole Foods grocery store, new retail space and homes for local residents. It is the fifth mixed-use project, the second residential and commercial development in Ward Village.
Ward Village is a 60-acre urban master planned community located in Honolulu between the city’s downtown and Waikiki. This community is developing into a neighborhood with plans for over 4,000 high-rise residences and more than one million square feet of retail space surrounded by outdoor public parks and pedestrian friendly streets.
The latest development will feature a 50,000 square-foot flagship Whole Foods Market. The project will also include approximately 12,000 square-feet of additional retail space, district-wide parking and a tower with approximately 466 total residences. Designed by architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the project will include indoor/outdoor seating at Whole Foods Market.
“This approval marks another important milestone as we create a thriving Ward Village neighborhood for all to enjoy,” said Nick Vanderboom, senior vice president of development for The Howard Hughes Corporation. “We are pleased to introduce several new community amenities as part of Phase Two of Ward Village, including a flagship grocery store, homes targeted for local residents, and a public park centered between our recently approved Gateway Towers designed by world renowned Richard Meier & Partners Architects.”
Phase Two will continue the transformation of Ward Village into an environmentally sustainable, pedestrian-friendly community. Ward Village is the nation’s largest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) Platinum-Certified project.
Last November The Howard Hughes Corporation secured a $600 million non-recourse construction loan from Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies for the development of Waiea and Anaha, the first two mixed-use developments. Construction on Waiea began in June 2014 with completion projected in late 2016. Anaha construction commenced on November 8th with completion anticipated in early 2017.
“Our vision for Ward Village is to create the premier master planned community in Hawaii offering an unrivaled vibrant urban lifestyle in the heart of Honolulu,” said Grant Herlitz, president of The Howard Hughes Corporation. “The closing of this loan marks another important milestone as we create the quintessential 21st century neighborhood.”
