KALIHI TOD NEIGHBORHOOD
Kalihi will be a livable urban community with a balance of employment, residential, and recreational uses that enjoy high-quality transit access and reflect the area’s central location and rich cultural heritage. Neighborhoods will be pedestrian- and transit-friendly, where children walk to school, parents shop for basic goods near their homes, and community members enjoy access to good jobs, good food, safe streets, and quality open spaces, housing, and services.
Revitalized districts in strategic locations, particularly around Kapālama station, will capitalize on the presence of Honolulu Community College, the area’s proximity to Downtown, and its natural resources. The community’s ethnic, income, age, and small business diversity is maintained and enhanced through a variety of housing, commercial, education, and economic opportunities. The corridor’s assemblage of varied districts—Kapālāma, Kalihi, and Middle Street—will retain unique identities as they develop and evolve.
• Revitalize Kalihi into a more livable community
• Maintain and enhance diversity
• Improve the quality of public spaces
• Improve connections to the waterfront
• Create a convenient and accessible transportation network
• Increase public safety
STATION AREA PLANS
Kahauiki (Middle Street) Station Area
This station will serve as an important multi-modal transit hub by providing convenient bus-to-rail connections for residents coming from neighborhoods not served by rail. Aesthetic and circulation improvements in the area will be essential to creating a public realm that is conducive to walking and biking and that supports transit ridership. Primarily large lots surround this station area, and a greater mix of uses is envisioned in the long term, including redevelopment of the Oahu Community Correctional Center and the surrounding area into a new neighborhood.
Mokauea (Kalihi) Station Area
The vision for this station area preserves the neighborhood’s existing assets, while targeting sites for revitalization to improve safety and capitalize on rail access. Mauka of the station, the TOD Plan maintains the neighborhood’s residential character, allowing residential development at slightly higher densities. Makai of the station, the mix of industrial and commercial uses is maintained. This provides for the continuation and upgrade of a variety of small businesses that exemplify Kalihi and ensures continued employment in the commercial and industrial sectors. Along Dillingham Boulevard, the TOD Plan envisions a greater mix of uses to serve the neighborhood and transit users, and an improved streetscape to support pedestrian and bicycle travel.
Niuhelewai (Kapālama) Station Area
This station area is envisioned as the most transformed of the three station areas, becoming a high-intensity mixed-use urban district that capitalizes on its proximity to Downtown and Chinatown and adjacency to Honolulu Community College. Employment uses, including office and R&D facilities, would provide new job opportunities. High-density housing would accommodate a range of household types and income levels, creating a new neighborhood with a full range of facilities and services, including parks, retail stores, and existing schools. This new district should be safe and walkable. New streets would form a network that connects the area to the waterfront, rail station, and to both Downtown and other parts of Kalihi.
INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING
Iwilei/Kapālama Infrastructure Master Planning
As part of infrastructure planning in the Iwilei and Kapālama rail station areas, the Iwilei/Kapālama 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.
Kapālama Canal
The Kapālama Canal Catalytic Project is located near the future Niuhelewai (Kapālama) rail station. The plan is to create a linear park along Kapālama Canal, including waterfront promenades, gathering places, Complete Streets improvements to Kokea and Kohou Streets, green infrastructure and water quality improvements, connections to Honolulu Community College and future developments, a possible pedestrian bridge over the canal, and more.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
NEIGHBORHOOD TOD PLAN
Kalihi Neighborhood TOD Plan Summary Brochure – June 2017
Kalihi Neighborhood TOD Plan (adopted) – March 2017
Community Needs Survey Report and Summary – October 2011
Existing Conditions Report – June 2011
Market Opportunities Study – May 2011
Stakeholder Interviews Report – January 2011
Community Meeting #4 Summary – December 2014
Community Workshop #3 Summary – September 2012
Community Workshop #2 Summary – October 2011
Community Workshop #1 Summary – June 2011
ACTION PLAN
Kalihi-Palama Action Plan – September 2004
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A: The Kalihi Neighborhood TOD Plan was adopted by the City Council in March 2017. For a copy of the TOD Plan and related material, see the Related Documents section on this page.
A: Items that help implement the Kalihi Neighborhood TOD Plan will be listed on this page while development projects in the neighborhood can be found 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 situated closer 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 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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