Central Plaza - Kakaako - Ward Village

Central Plaza Kakaako groundbreaking – Ward Village

The Central Plaza groundbreaking in Kakaako’s Ward Village happened a few days ago. This is the start of the first phase of this project. The Plaza will cover about 1.5 acres of land next to the Ward Theater complex with it ending at the future A’ali’i condo.

Central Plaza the future place to be in Ward Village

The Central Plaza will be the future place to be in Ward Village. It will be landscaped with grass and native Hawaiian plants. It will showcase a varied amount of free events including group yoga classes, farmer’s market, outdoor movies, music and cultural events and concerts. Everyone in Ward Village and the surrounding communities are excited about this addition. Up until now, free events have been held at the Howard Hughes Corporation’s Honolulu offices at the IBM building. It has been a popular draw. Expectations are high that the larger space at the Central Plaza will increase crowds.

HCDA approval

The Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA), which governs development in Kakaako, had pushed for this development as a part of the approvals of condo building proposals. When Howard Hughes Corporation was seeking approval for A’ali’i condo, part of the approval came with a condition that the Central Plaza would be completed sooner than the developer planned. The Ward Village groundbreaking at the Central Plaza from earlier this week is the fulfillment of this commitment.

This first phase of the Central Plaza is scheduled to be completed in January 2019. The warehouses including the old Marukai market buildings have already been demolished and the ground has been cleared.

Continued demolition

The demolition of the warehouses and buildings and the Marukai market is part of ongoing work that Howard Hughes Corporation has been doing in the neighborhood lately. Earlier this year they tore down Ward Warehouse. This is where Gateway Towers was to be located but, now Gateway Towers has been postponed as a part of a redesign of Ward Village. Eventually, the Central Plaza will connect the renovated Kewalo Basin all the way through Ward Village and end at A’ali’i condo.

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