Kapiolani Village Apartments located on the corner of Kapiolani Ave and Date street is home to dozens of families and current residents that will be displaced when Kuilei Place begins developing. Kuilei Place is planned to be a 43 story luxury high rise condominiums in the heart of Mccully, Moi’ili’ili and Kapahulu neighborhoods. This new development will not only affect the residents of Kapiolani Village Apartments who will be displaced but also residents and homeowners in the larger vicinity.

Because of the volume of condominiums being built in this development, traffic is expected to increase significantly in already highly congested area. The proposed site sits in the middle of many schools such as Iolani Schools, Kaimuki High school and  Ala Wai elementary. By adding luxury condominiums we not only displace many families who live within Kapiolani Village Apartments but also we add congestion to the families who commute to take their children to these schools.

Furthermore this development has found a loophole around Honolulu standing zoning laws regarding Diamond head. This law works to preserve scenic views of Diamond head for all to enjoy and thus buildings must be under a certain height and floors. Kuilei Place does not abide by these rules  yet they are being approved. The loophole that they are utilizing is that “affordable housing” may bypass certain zoning laws with less regulation and fast tracked without discussion. This essentially took the voice out of the community and they were able to move forward without considering the neighborhoods. 

Now it is the time to act because longtime residents of Kapiolani Village Apartments must move out by October 1st 2023 and construction begins soon after. If we cannot stop this soon not only will these residents be affected but traffic will increase, taxes and an area that is rich in history will be forever changed. 

Our goal with this petition is to present it to our representatives and show them that we, the little guy matter. We have just as much voice as the corporations trying to push out local families. It is not a secret that we need affordable housing to keep local people home, but displacing local people to fix a problem is not fixing the problem. It is postponing the problem. 

“Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil” -Jerry Garcia 

Plans For A New 43-Story High Rise On Kapiolani Blvd Move Ahead