FAQs

The following questions have been asked by members of the community:

Q. What is Ho‘opili?

A. Ho‘opili — which means coming together in Hawaiian — is a newly proposed community planned for West O‘ahu that is designed to help complete the city and county and people of ‘Ewa’s vision for a thriving secondary urban center. It is a direct product of a community–driven planning process. Ho‘opili is designed to create needed housing and thousands of new jobs for the area. It is also designed to be the kind of traditional Hawai‘i community — where people walked, got to know their neighbors, and enjoyed a sense of place — that exists in the islands’ best neighborhoods.

Q. How does Ho‘opili fit into the master plan for ‘Ewa?

A. More than 30 years ago, the City of Honolulu set out to create a “second city” in West O‘ahu. Now, efforts are underway to complete this vision with, among many other improvements, the continued buildout of the City of Kapolei and its budding harbor, development of the new UH campus, Kroc Center, two major regional retail centers, new roads and possibly a transit link that should improve transportation to and within the area.

‘Ewa should continue to become a major jobs–creation center. Forecasted activity includes creation of about 39,900 or more new jobs in ‘Ewa! That’s where Ho‘opili, with its heavy concentration of mixed land uses that offer residents a chance to work, educate and solcialize right where they live, comes in.

Q. What role did the community play in designing Ho‘opili?

A. The concept for Ho‘opili was developed by community leaders who worked with D.R. Horton-Schuler Division for over one year to plan the project.

The Ho‘opili plan was based on their ideas for creating a healthy, balanced and vibrant community where residents can live, work and play.

Specifically, Ho‘opili’s Community Task Force identified six key areas they wanted to see embraced in this new community:

• Create a lively and vibrant gathering places where people of all ages can come together;

• Create lots of parks, green spaces, and user–friendly community facilities open to the public;

• Create a community culture that supports life–long educational opportunities;

• Create high–quality jobs so ‘Ewa residents can work right within their own community; and

• Create a mix of housing at a wide range of prices, including a significant number of affordable homes.

Q. Won't Ho‘opili contribute to the traffic problem on O‘ahu?

A. We know transportation is a BIG issue for West O‘ahu, and Ho‘opili is designed with solutions to this problem in mind. By the time actual construction begins, several major roads — including the North–South Road (from Kapolei Parkway to H–1) and Kapolei Parkway (between Ocean Pointe and the center of Kapolei), the major new regional mauka–makai and east–west highways for the area — should be completed, improving transportation to and from and within the area.

But, above all, the optimal solution is continued job growth. Ho‘opili is designed to be a major contributor to the ‘Ewa’s projected job growth by allowing for the creation of thousands of new jobs, giving ‘Ewa residents an opportunity to live and work right within their own community.

Q. Do we really need more housing on O‘ahu?

A. Yes. There is an estimated shortage of over 16,300 units in pent–up demand on O‘ahu. And that deficit is expected to grow to over 37,000 units by 2020 even if all of the homes that currently have state land use approval get built. In short, there is a great need for housing on O‘ahu. Ho‘opili is designed to meet this demand.

Q. What is a “live–work” home?

A. Ho‘opili is designed to include a significant number of what are called “live–work” homes, which is expected to be one of the most popular features of the new community. Live–work accommodations allow the owner to live in the residential part of the unit, and set aside a commercial part of the unit — often downstairs — to run a small business or shop (or, perhaps, rent out as a livable studio). Or, conversely, a business owner could rent out the residential space, creating a revenue source for him or herself, and creating even more available housing (or rent out that space for business purposes, too). Even more, one could use the unit exclusively for either living or working purposes. There are many favorable possibilities, all created with the intention to provide flexible living options for O‘ahu’s residents.

The live–work concept is one made popular in Hawaii many years ago when shopkeepers would often live above their store or café. With this traditional design in mind, Ho‘opili is designed to reintroduce this simple lifestyle option which should, in turn, allow for a high quality of life for its residents.

Q. How is Ho‘opili different from the other developments on O‘ahu?

A. Ho‘opili is designed to “bring back the best of what we loved from long ago…” by creating a community where people can walk, get to know their neighbors, and experience a sense of place.

Featuring what’s called a “traditional neighborhood design” Ho‘opili is designed to be the first transit–orientated development (TOD) on O‘ahu — a compact, mixed–use development situated at or around transit stops. As a result, residents should be able to walk, bike or take public transportation to area shops, restaurants, schools, parks and jobs.

Ho‘opili is being highly coordinated with other major developments planned for the area, namely the new campus at UH West O‘ahu, Department of Hawaiian Homeland properties and Hawai‘i Community Development Authority – Kalaeloa. A major joint development agreement for sewer transmission has already been reached and the funding committed to make sure that infrastructure is in place prior to the delivery of homes. Also, Hawaiian Electric Company is closely monitoring O‘ahu’s growing energy needs and is proactively preventing an energy shortage by requesting a new generating unit at the Campbell Industrial Park Generating Station by 2009. More can happen like this to promote the concurrency of development and infrastructure. Also, connectivity and access to neighboring projects and especially the new University campus — along with several new schools planned for the area — are designed to provide residents of all ages a variety of schools where they can enjoy life–long learning opportunities.

Q. What does Ho‘opili mean? Why did you choose the name?

A. Ho‘opili means “coming together” in Hawaiian. Working closely with Hawaiian cultural experts, the name was chosen by D.R. Horton-Schuler Division as a symbol (i) for the maturation and final connection of the ‘Ewa Plain communities and (ii) after the many different people who have already come together to create this very special, one–of–a–kind community.

Q. When will construction begin? When can I buy a home at Ho‘opili?

A. The first commercial square foot or home is not currently expected to be delivered until around 2012— followed by a probable two–decade–long build–out — providing ample time to ensure Hoopili is well-planned.

While home sales are still many years away, local residents interested in learning more are encouraged to sign up via the Ho‘opili website at www.hoopilioahu.com.