New Construction in Kakaʻako, Honolulu (2026)

Since 2016 Kakaʻako’s two master plans have delivered a dozen or so new condo towers, and seven more are selling or under construction. They were not built by one developer with one plan, and the rules on pricing, reserved housing and resale change from building to building. This page is the map. It covers every project in the district as of September 2026, says what a buyer can do at each one right now, and points you to the detailed page once you find the one you like.

Where Kakaʻako Is, and Why It Has Two Master Plans

Kakaʻako is the stretch of Honolulu between Downtown and Ala Moana, from the Kewalo Basin waterfront up to King Street. It is governed by the Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority (HCDA) rather than ordinary city zoning, which is why towers here can be taller and denser than elsewhere on Oʻahu, and why every large project carries a reserved housing obligation.

Two landowners shaped the district. Ward Village is the Howard Hughes master plan on the Ala Moana side: fourteen towers, one developer, one design vision, and Victoria Ward Park at the center. Our Kakaʻako is Kamehameha Schools land on the Downtown side, developed block by block by different builders around the SALT retail complex. A buyer who says “I want to live in Kakaʻako” is usually choosing between these two neighborhoods without knowing it. The Ala Moana towers to the east are a third option, covered on their own page.

Every Kakaʻako Project at a Glance (September 2026)

“Status” is what you can do today. “Pricing” tells you what kind of number you will find on the project page, because an opening price, a closeout price and a resale range mean very different things. Where a developer publishes no price, we say so instead of guessing.

Just outside the district: Kuilei Place in Mōʻiliʻili (Kobayashi Group, under construction, completion estimated for early 2028 (July 21 developer update), only a few market-rate homes left as of mid-2026), and the seven Ala Moana and Midtown towers on the Ala Moana new construction page.

Ward Village: The Master Plan on the Ala Moana Side

Ward Village is the reason most buyers hear about Kakaʻako. Howard Hughes has delivered nine towers since 2016, two more are rising, and three are in pre-sales or early sales. Because one developer controls the whole plan, the towers share a design language, a park system and a retail spine along Auahi Street anchored by Whole Foods at Aeʻo.

What that means for you in 2026: if you want to buy from the developer, the choices are The Park (finished building, closeout inventory), Kalae and The Launiu (under construction, 2028), ʻIlima and Melia (pre-sales on the old Ward Centre site, several years out) and Mahana (early sales, no published pricing yet). Everything else at Ward Village is resale, and the resale market is large: Victoria Place, Kōʻula and ʻAʻaliʻi trade regularly. The Ward Village guide covers all fourteen towers, and the buyer’s guide and HOA fee breakdown answer the questions that come next.

Our Kakaʻako: Kamehameha Schools’ District Around SALT

Our Kakaʻako is nine blocks of Kamehameha Schools land between Ward Village and Downtown. Instead of one master developer, the Schools lease blocks to different builders, so each tower has its own architect, price point and personality. The first wave, called Increment I, is finished: The Collection, Keauhou Place, Keauhou Lane, Ililani and the SALT retail block, which gives the neighborhood its restaurants and its Saturday crowd.

The second wave is what matters if you want to buy new. Ālia at 888 Ala Moana Boulevard is the luxury entry and is under construction with pricing on request. Kaliu is selling before groundbreaking, which means longer waits and more risk in exchange for choosing your unit first. Kahuina is the big one for workforce buyers: two towers, 861 homes, and more than 500 of them priced under HHFDC rules. The Our Kakaʻako guide goes building by building.

Reserved and Workforce Housing in Kakaʻako

Every large project under HCDA rules must set aside at least 20% of its homes as reserved housing for buyers under an income cap. Some towers went much further: Ke Kilohana and Ulana at Ward Village were built entirely as reserved housing, and Kahuina will deliver more than 500 HHFDC homes. Ālia includes 40 reserved homes in its podium.

Ālia update, October 18, 2026: New broker announcements report a release of 40 HCDA reserved homes, with completed applications accepted October 28–November 1 and a November 14 lottery. The original presale notice and packet still need confirmation. Read the reported pricing, dates, income limits and verification notes before applying.

Reserved and HHFDC homes come with strings: income limits, an owner-occupancy requirement, and a buyback or shared-appreciation clause that limits what you keep when you sell within the restriction period. They are also the only way most working households buy new in this district. Start with the affordable housing hub, check the current income limits, and read how to qualify before a release opens. Releases move fast and the paperwork does not.

Reading Kakaʻako Prices

A price on a new construction page is only useful if you know what kind of price it is. In Kakaʻako you will meet five kinds:

• On request. The developer sells by appointment and publishes no number. Ālia’s market residences and Mahana use inquiry-based pricing. Ālia’s reserved homes are a separate offering. Sell-through, not price, is the urgency signal.
• Opening. The lowest price at launch. ʻIlima and Melia quote these. Expect them to rise as inventory sells.
• Band. The developer’s full range across unit types, as at Kalae, The Launiu and Kaliu. The bottom of the band is usually a small studio or a reserved unit that is already gone.
• Closeout. Remaining inventory in a finished building, as at The Park. You can walk the unit before you sign, which is the one real advantage of buying late.
• Resale. What owners in a completed tower are asking. Nine of the fourteen Ward Village towers and all of Increment I at Our Kakaʻako are here.

Our project pages carry the date we last checked the number. If a page shows a range with no label, treat it as a band and ask before you rely on the bottom of it.

Who Should Buy Where

• You want to move in this year. The Park (closeout) or a resale at Victoria Place, Kōʻula, ʻAʻaliʻi, The Collection or Keauhou Place.
• You want a new unit and can wait until 2028. Kalae or The Launiu at Ward Village, or Kaliu at Our Kakaʻako.
• You qualify under an income limit. Watch Kahuina, and keep an eye on the reserved homes at every new Ward Village release.
• You are buying at the top of the market. ʻIlima, Melia and the upper floors of Kalae, all waterfront or near it.
• You want a finished neighborhood with more variety. Compare with Ala Moana, where the towers are older, cheaper per square foot, and one of them allows short-term rentals.

Getting Around

Kakaʻako is built to be walked. Ala Moana Center and Ala Moana Beach Park are at the eastern edge, Kewalo Basin and the harbor walk are at the makai edge, and Downtown is a short drive or bus ride west. The Skyline rail line is planned to end at Ala Moana, which will put the district a walk away from a station connecting to West Oʻahu. Parking is the practical constraint: most towers assign one or two stalls per home, and guest parking is scarce.

Last Updated and Sources

Statuses and price kinds on this page were checked in September 2026 against the developers’ published materials, Howard Hughes’ Q2 2026 investor materials, HCDA and HHFDC filings, and our own project pages, each of which carries its own check date. We re-check this page monthly and whenever a tower changes status.

Ready to See Kakaʻako in Person?

Team Wong shows Ward Village and Our Kakaʻako in person, including the galleries that require an appointment. Tell us what you are looking for and we will tell you which two or three towers are worth your afternoon.