By Staff Reports
(Honolulu)– HONOLULU – The City and County of Honolulu has selected EAH Housing as its preferred negotiating partner for the redevelopment of the Iwilei Center, a nearly four-acre public parcel located adjacent to the future Kūwili Skyline Station. The project is envisioned to deliver hundreds of new affordable and workforce homes, along with neighborhood-serving retail, community amenities, and transit-connected public spaces.
This milestone advances the City’s broader, implementation-focused strategy to transform the Iwilei–Kapālama district into a vibrant, transit-oriented neighborhood supported by significant public investments in housing, infrastructure, mobility, and public space. The specific unit count, income levels, and overall project program will be refined through the predevelopment process and shaped by public input, community meetings, and the formal permitting process, with early engagement beginning later this year.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape urban Honolulu,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “The Iwilei Center redevelopment reflects strong alignment across DHLM, DPP, DTS, and our state and federal partners as we modernize infrastructure, improve mobility, and prepare this corridor for thousands of new homes. At the same time, we are putting this site to work today through the Department of Community Services’ Kumu Ola Hou program, which provides transitional housing and treatment services for individuals experiencing homelessness in Iwilei. In the next few years, Skyline’s expansion will take us there, and EAH Housing brings the experience and vision needed to help build a vibrant, transit-connected community. We are moving forward with urgency to deliver results for our residents.”
EAH Housing was selected through a competitive process under the Governor’s Tenth Proclamation Related to Affordable Housing. As negotiations proceed, EAH will collaborate closely with the City’s planning team to ensure building massing, phasing, infrastructure improvements, and public spaces align with the broader district vision.
“We’re incredibly grateful to all the applicants who stepped forward with their vision for the Iwilei Center,” said Kevin D. Auger, Director-Designate of DHLM. “EAH understands that this is neighborhood-building, not just site development. This is exactly what DHLM was built to do — align public land, infrastructure investment, and development timing to deliver long-term community benefit.”
The Iwilei Center redevelopment is a key anchor within the City’s ongoing master planning for the Kūwili and Niuhelewai station areas — a coordinated, multimillion-dollar effort aligning land use, infrastructure upgrades, transportation systems, and public realm improvements. The district-wide planning effort is being advanced in partnership with DTL, BDP Quadrangle, SSFM International Inc., and Nippon Koei, bringing together local leadership and international expertise in transit-oriented community design. This planning work will guide future development across the district and support the long-term delivery of thousands of homes in a walkable, connected neighborhood.
“This effort builds on more than 15 years of DPP-led planning and community partnership,” said Tim Streitz, TOD’s Acting Administrator with the Department of Planning and Permitting. “The Downtown Neighborhood TOD Plan, adopted in 2020 as a revision to the 2017 version, came from years of workshops, corridor walks, business outreach, and resident input stretching back to 2010, including close coordination on the adjacent Kalihi Neighborhood TOD Plan, adopted in 2017. Those plans captured a shared vision for a walkable, connected Iwilei–Kūwili district built around transit, housing, and public space. With DHLM, DPP, and DTS now aligned — and EAH joining as the development partner — we finally have the momentum to transform a decade-plus of visioning into real, on-the-ground change.”
“Iwilei has incredible potential, and the community deserves to see it fully realized,” said Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam. “With Skyline coming through this neighborhood, transit-oriented development projects like this can bring homes for families that are close to work and opportunity. This project reflects the kind of future residents have been asking for, and it moves us closer to a more walkable and welcoming Iwilei.”
EAH Housing, a nationally recognized, mission-oriented developer with more than 30 years of experience delivering affordable and workforce housing in Hawaiʻi, will now enter an exclusive negotiation period with the City to finalize the development agreement and ground lease. The development team includes EAH Housing as lead developer, Core Tech as co-developer, and Lowney Architecture as project architect.
“EAH Housing is honored to be selected for this opportunity,” said Karen Seddon, Regional Vice President of EAH Housing. “Iwilei Center is more than a housing project — it’s a chance to help shape a complete, transit-connected neighborhood that will serve families for generations. We’re committed to delivering high-quality, long-term, affordable, and workforce homes that reflect the City’s vision and truly benefit the community.”
The project will now move into community engagement, environmental review, land-use approvals, and financial structuring as part of its next phase. Planning and design work will continue over the next year, with the City and its preferred negotiating partner providing updates at key milestones. This will include engagement with the Neighborhood Board, public meetings, and the Honolulu City Council’s required review.
For more information on the Iwilei Center project and other city-led housing initiatives, click here.
To learn more about the Iwilei-Kapālama Transit-Oriented Development planning effort, click here.