Kakaʻako

A global consulting firm has been chosen to complete a feasibility study for the development of a Native Hawaiian cultural center in Kakaʻako Makai, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs announced Monday.

With the park slated to re-open next week following renovations, some Ward Village residents are frustrated with the recent policy change. They say they were promised a pet-friendly neighborhood before they bought their units.

The state transferred about 30 acres of land to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs over a decade ago to settle a long-standing dispute over ceded land revenues.

Safety is behind a new pedestrian overpass that spans mauka to makai, over Ala Moana Boulevard, connecting Kakaʻako to the entrance to Ala Moana Beach Park and Kewalo Basin.

A blessing ceremony took place Thursday to mark the official opening of the Ala Moana Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge.

The Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority wants $1 million for community planning sessions and an infrastructure assessment of Kakaʻako Makai. That includes evaluating residential, hotel and manufacturing development in the area.

State senators nixed a controversial measure that would have allowed the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to build high-rise housing along the waterfront area of Kakaʻako, also called Kakaʻako Makai.

A bill aiming to lift a state law banning residential development at the waterfront area of Kakaʻako on Oʻahu cleared its first hurdle in the state Legislature. This is part of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ effort to develop its Kakaʻako Makai Project.

HPR talked to OHA Board Chair Kai Kahele about the department's top priority of getting the green light to develop its lands on the makai side of Ala Moana. The former U.S. representative was recently elected as OHA's Hawaiʻi Island trustee.

The City Center Guideway and Stations contract, which also includes six rail stations, has been awarded to the California-based Tutor Perini Corporation, one of the biggest construction companies in the country.