HONOLULU — The U.S. Navy has announced plans for a major housing and commercial development near its Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii.
The Navy envisions a public-private partnership near a future rail station, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Thursday.
The project would include 2.3 million square feet (195,000 square meters) of residential and commercial space.
The Navy wants to add housing, shopping and parks and improve commuting for Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam service members and workers. The Navy also envisions a security checkpoint and a bus depot on the base to transport workers and military members.
The base’s shipyard is the state’s largest industrial employer with more than 6,000 workers.
The plans include a high-rise hotel and pedestrian walkways over Interstate H-1 and Kamehameha Highway.
The Navy recognizes a “tremendous win-win opportunity” on Oahu that could address transportation challenges and benefit the public and private sectors, Capt. Marc Delao, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii, said in a statement.
The development “will draw new residents, businesses, and visitors, and become a community asset,” Delao said.
Capt. Darren Guenther, chief of staff for Navy Region Hawaii, said more than 25,000 people pass through the base gates every day, including Makalapa gate near a planned rail station on Kamehameha Highway.
The effort reflects the commercial importance of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s 21 planned rail stations and its mixed-use “transit-oriented development.”
The proposal is the first development project presented by the Navy’s new Acquisition Modernization Office, the service said.
Interested companies must meet an April 10 deadline to respond to a modernization office request for information. A request for proposals is expected in August, with negotiations beginning in early 2021.
