Highridge Costa Starts $333 Million Phase of Mayor Wright Rebuild

Highridge Costa Development Company and the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority broke ground on the first phase of the Mayor Wright Homes redevelopment on Thursday. The project targets a 15-acre site in the Kalihi-Palama neighborhood, bounded by King Street, Liliha Street, and Vineyard Boulevard. This marks the start of the largest public housing undertaking in Hawaii's history.

The state approved the plan to replace a complex built nearly 75 years ago. Initial projections for the entire overhaul were finalized in 2017 at a total cost of $1.3 billion. Current officials are executing a staged approach to manage the financial and logistical scale of the rebuild.

Hakim Ouansafi, executive director of the housing authority, stated that the ceremony signaled a shift in how the state approaches housing barriers. He noted that future problems require new methods rather than reliance on past approaches. Moe Mohanna, president of Highridge Costa, described the initiative as a legacy project for the state.

The final development will include 10 towers housing more than 2,400 rental units. These will range from studios to five-bedroom apartments. The mix will also include public housing units, sale condominiums, and commercial space. Over 50% of the units are reserved for tenants earning less than 80% of the area median income. Later phases will serve households earning up to 100% of that median, approximately $150,000 annually for a family of four.

The design incorporates four acres of public parks and recreational areas. The site is positioned within walking distance of the planned Iwilei rail station. Current residents displaced by construction are being relocated with priority rights to return to their homes upon completion.

Gov. Josh Green called the project central to the state's housing strategy, linking stable housing to better health and education outcomes. Mayor Rick Blangiardi connected the timeline to the arrival of the Skyline rail line. The first building is scheduled to open in 2029. The full 15-year redevelopment is expected to conclude in 2041.

Phase 1A carries a current estimate of $333 million. This figure reflects the immediate construction costs for the initial towers. The remaining phases will proceed as funding and construction milestones are met over the next decade and a half.