DOWNTOWN TOD NEIGHBORHOOD
Downtown Honolulu will continue to be the region’s premier employment center with a substantial residential population and easy access to stores and everyday amenities. An accessible and activated waterfront with promenades and community uses, a vibrant, historic Chinatown, and a new high-intensity mixed-use Iwilei district as an extension of Downtown will create a new image for Downtown Honolulu.
• Develop a vibrant mixed-use downtown
• Enhance downtown’s waterfront orientation
• Expand housing opportunities and provide a range of housing types
• Balance density with green space
• Create an integrated and convenient transportation network
• Provide quality public improvements
STATION AREA PLANS
Kūwili (Iwilei) Station Area
This station area hosts an assortment of commercial and industrial businesses, as well as harbor activities. The area is envisioned as a vibrant and walkable new district that combines high-density mixed-use development with a variety of commercial, residential, retail, restaurant, and entertainment uses. New streets would form a network that better connects the area to the waterfront and to Downtown. Existing big-box stores should be redesigned and redeveloped into more attractive and intensely utilized retail destinations with a vertical mix of uses.
Hōlau (Chinatown) Station Area
This station area has supported a diverse community and served as a gateway for new immigrants for over 100 years. The district is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Its markets, shops, restaurants, First Friday art walks, and other events continue to be destinations for local residents and visitors. It is, therefore, critical to allow existing uses to grow and expand in a way that is consistent with the district’s character, and in accordance with Chinatown Special District regulations.
Kuloloia (Downtown) Station Area
This station area includes Honolulu’s financial and professional office hub as well as the Aloha Tower waterfront area, contains a mix of historically and culturally significant buildings alongside well-designed contemporary buildings that together communicate the city’s history, culture, and values. The TOD Plan seeks to expand the range of day and evening uses for this station area to create a walkable regional destination, with waterfront activities, a revitalized Aloha Tower and Fort Street Mall, and new development on the HECO site.
ACTION PLAN
Chinatown Action Plan
The purpose of the Chinatown Action Plan is to identify and prioritize near-term implementation actions, while refining longer-term strategies that are consistent with other visioning efforts. Longer-term redevelopment strategies are outlined in the Downtown Neighborhood TOD Plan. The Action Plan outlines new actions that government, businesses, residents, and civic organizations are planning, or beginning to undertake, to create a clean, safe, unique, and economically healthy neighborhood. The improvement actions fall into the following focus areas: streets and placemaking, cleanliness and safety, events and economy, and parks.
INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING
Iwilei/Kapalama Infrastructure Master Planning
As part of infrastructure planning in the Iwilei and Kapalama rail station areas, the Iwilei/Kapalama TOD Infrastructure Needs Assessment was conducted to identify improvements needed to support new development around the future rail stations. The assessment includes high‐level cost estimates for infrastructure improvements, a phasing strategy, and other recommendations to support TOD. Government, private utilities, and private developers will implement these projects.
CATALYTIC PROJECTS
what is a TOD
catalytic project?
A TOD catalytic project can be inspiring and iconic, purely functional, or serve a combination of purposes. These projects are intended to spur, or jump start, other projects/improvements in the surrounding area, effectively serving as a seed, target, or magnet for additional interest. They typically consist of major public and/or private investments, such as new infrastructure (sewer lines, transit centers, parks, etc.) and buildings (apartments or condominiums, stores, community centers, etc.). Catalytic projects generally take place within a limited area—spanning from a small site to an entire block or more—and can entail a development parcel or street segment. These projects, especially the public investments, are largely based on their respective neighborhood TOD plan vision and recommendations.
Kūwili Station TOD Redevelopment Area Master Planning (RAMP)
The Kūwili TOD RAMP Catalytic Project covers a large portion of the Kūwili (Iwiliei) rail station area. Master planning efforts will focus on improving connectivity and access to multi-modal transit, maximizing land use, and aligning infrastructure investments. This project will facilitate the conversion of existing underutilized blocks into a new walkable, high-density, mixed-use/mixed-income district in the heart of Honolulu. The result will add thousands of new dwelling units to the housing inventory in addition to business and recreational space.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
NEIGHBORHOOD TOD PLAN
Downtown Neighborhood TOD Plan Summary Brochure – July 2020
Downtown Neighborhood TOD Plan (adopted) – July 2020
Downtown & Kalihi Draft TOD Framework Plan – February 2012
Community Needs Survey Report and Executive Summary – October 2011
Existing Conditions Report – June 2011
Market Opportunities Study – May 2011
Stakeholder Interviews Report – January 2011
Community Workshop #4 Summary – May 2015
Community Workshop #3 Summary – September 2012
Community Workshop #2 Summary – October 2011
Community Workshop #1 Summary – June 2011
ACTION PLAN
Chinatown Action Plan – March 2016
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A: The Downtown Neighborhood TOD Plan was adopted by the City Council in September 2017, and amended in August 2020. For a copy of the TOD Plan and related material, see the Related Documents section on this page.
A: Items that help implement the Downtown Neighborhood TOD Plan will be listed on this page, while development projects in the neighborhood will be listed on the Development Projects page. Related items (e.g., those with a corridor-wide focus) may also be listed under the Planning Initiatives page. Additionally you can sign up for the TOD newsletter to ensure you are up-to-date.
A: The rail stations are situated closer together between Middle Street and Ala Moana, helping to serve the higher population density and many destinations that currently exist. Some TOD neighborhoods overlap and share more common characteristics and needs than others. Projects can and should benefit multiple neighborhoods, which is also an efficient use of resources. The Planning Initiatives page will list these types of projects, while more localized projects that only span a few neighborhoods will be listed on their respective TOD neighborhood pages.
A: The rail line is currently projected to open in phases. Phase 1 opened on June 30, 2023 and includes the East Kapolei, Waipahu, Aiea-Pearl City, and Hālawa neighborhoods. Phase 2 is estimated to open a few years later and will include the Airport area and a portion of the Kalihi neighborhood. Remaining phases, which include the Ala Moana neighborhood, are more tentative at this point. For the more information concerning the rail, visit the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s website at www.honolulutransit.org.
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