The Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA) announced on November 3, 2014 the selection of Hunt Companies, Inc. (Hunt), McCormack Baron Salazar (MBS) and Vitus Group (Vitus) as the master developer team to transform Mayor Wright Homes (MWH) into a mixed-income and mixed-use residential development.
Hunt was chosen as the lead master developer; together with MBS and Vitus, the three firms comprise a fully integrated team of partners that complement and enhance one another’s capabilities and experiences. This ‘Master Developer Team’ brings a wealth of experience in mixed-use, mixed-income and transit-oriented development. Collectively, the Team has designed, planned, funded, developed, constructed and managed 91 similar multifaceted projects as well as more than 2,000 affordable housing projects across the country.
“This announcement is the next step in our journey to redevelop and improve the lives of residents who live at one of the oldest and largest low-income public housing properties in the HPHA portfolio,” HPHA Executive Director Hakim Ouansafi said. “The master developer team of Hunt, MBS and Vitus, in partnership with the HPHA, promises to catalyze public and private investment to create a vibrant mixed-income community that will be consistent with Downtown Transit-Oriented Development objectives, and increase affordable rental housing options in our state.”
“Hunt, along with MBS and Vitus, are eager and highly capable of continuing to reinvest in this community,” Gov. Neil Abercrombie said. “Under Hakim’s leadership, the state has aggressively addressed repair backlogs in public housing projects, and security has greatly improved. In partnership with this Master Developer Team, we are moving forward on long-term improvements that will have a lasting, beneficial impact to families and the community.”
The team was selected following a thorough evaluation process that included submission of qualifications, as well as a presentation and oral interview with a review and selection committee.
“Hunt is excited to partner with HPHA and continue our relationship with MBS and Vitus to help redevelop the Mayor Wright Homes neighborhood,” stated Steve Colón, president of development for Hunt’s Hawaii region. “This project will be a symbol of deep commitment, partnership and reinvestment by the public and private sectors and the community as a whole. Hunt is honored to be a part of the Master Developer Team chosen to bring this vibrant, new development to fruition for the people of Honolulu.”
MWH is a federal low-income public housing development that has been in use for more than 60 years. It was built in 1953 and modernized in 1984. With inadequate state and federal funds available to address its capital needs, the mixed-income, mixed-finance, mixed-use model will provide the additional capital necessary to truly revitalize the site and surrounding neighborhood.
Hunt Companies, Inc. is a diversified real estate company involved in development, investment and management with a focus on public-private partnerships, multifamily, affordable and military housing, community development and investment management. Hunt’s Hawai`i Division has been active in Hawai`i for more than two decades, and has long been recognized for its innovative renovation of underutilized military properties, particularly those governed by complex land agreements, as well as its commitment to creating premier master-planned communities that complement the cultural and geographical riches of the Hawaiian Islands. Projects include the Ford Island Master Development Agreement, Kalaeloa, The Waterfront at Pu`uloa and Waikele on O`ahu, Palamanui and Ke Kailani on the Big Island, and Kilauea Lighthouse Village on Kaua`i.
