Ward gets OK for new road
By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer
Victoria Ward Ltd. has received state approval to build a new street in its neighborhood complex of retail centers, as part of changes to a $100 million plan to add rental apartments, more shops and a parking structure on its Kaka'ako property.
Victoria Ward Ltd.
The company, which unveiled initial plans for the project in July, also modified the apartment component by eliminating one of two planned towers. The surviving tower would be 17 stories, three floors higher, but would contain 53 fewer units for a total of 165.
Here's what the view along Auahi Street would look like. A redevelopment official praised the "low-density aspect" of the Victoria Ward plan.
The Hawai'i Community Development Authority, which oversees redevelopment in Ka-
ka'ako, approved the changes and other more minor modifications to the plan at a public hearing yesterday.
Victoria Ward's plan would replace the Ward Village Shops housing Starbucks, Kua 'Aina and other tenants on most of the block bordered by Kamake'e, Auahi and the Queen Street extension.
The agency allowed a 200-foot apartment tower. Under agency rules, Victoria Ward could have applied to build as high as 400 feet, roughly the height of nearby condominiums Nauru Tower, Hawaiki Tower and two others under construction.
"I like the low-density aspect versus a sea of 400-foot towers," said Daniel Dinell, agency executive director.
The new road, dubbed Queen Lane, was added at the request of the city over concern that the additional residential and shopping traffic would put too much stress on Kamake'e, the only mauka-makai road running completely through Victoria Ward's evolving urban village.
Victoria Ward will build, maintain and own the two-lane road, which would be open for continual public use.
The company would acquire the thoroughfare by redeeming land credits it received earlier for giving the state some of its property.
Victoria Ward is also required to contribute another 14,000 square feet of land to the development authority as a public facility assessment, though the company has roughly 40,000 square feet of land credits.
The redevelopment would be another step advancing Victoria Ward's vision to transform Kaka'ako's retail core into a place where people can not only shop, dine and be entertained, but also live and work.
The redeveloped Ward Village Shops would expand Victoria Ward retail space by about 200,000 square feet, wrapping new stores and the apartment tower around a 1,010-stall parking structure.
Pier 1 Imports would remain where it is under the plan. Other tenants on the redevelopment site would be moved to new shop space to be built on the site of the former Tesoro gas station on the corner of Ward Avenue and Auahi or a planned expansion of Ward Centre.
Ward Village redevelopment would commence after completion of the two smaller projects, and the new stores are projected to be finished in spring 2006, followed by the apartments in fall 2006.
Reach Andrew Gomes at agomes@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8065.
