A meeting was held Tuesday in the heart of downtown to talk about creating a downtown business improvement district.
The Conversation highlighted the effort to revitalize the Honolulu financial district out on the road Monday, and wanted to learn more about the gamble that is underway to chart the city’s future.
The real estate company Colliers tracks industry trends and just released its Q2 report on downtown occupancy rates. Honolulu has the second-highest rate in cities across the country for planned office space conversions to residences.
In the national report, Honolulu's office vacancy rate was 13.5% compared to San Francisco’s 31.2% — the highest in the country for empty office space.
Mike Hamasu is head of research for Colliers Hawaii, and Brandon Bera is an executive vice president. They spoke with HPR about what the latest numbers show.
This story aired on The Conversation on Aug. 12, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
