City unveils Winston Hale micro-units ....

Caldwell contemplates the City’s use of his $100 yearly property tax payment on his $4M Manoa mansion.

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, Nov 1, 2016

Honolulu – Mayor Kirk Caldwell today unveiled an innovative new micro-unit at Winston Hale, one of six brand new units built into former commercial spaces within that city-managed building. Individuals experiencing homelessness will move into these units before the end of this year.

In addition, the city unveiled renovations to 29 existing units at Winston Hale that have been unoccupied for nearly a decade due to historical plumbing issues. Renovations to existing units are 86 percent complete and they will be ready to be occupied next month.

“Winston Hale is a model for rethinking the use of existing city properties,” said Mayor Caldwell. “It’s a beautiful historic building in the heart of Chinatown that sat underutilized for years due to deferred maintenance. Winston Hale is also in a transit-oriented development zone close to the future Chinatown rail station. We’re nearly done bringing 29 units of greatly-needed affordable housing back online and we’ve found space within the building to create six new micro-units to house people experiencing homelessness. Winston Hale represents a continued commitment to further revitalizing Chinatown into an even more bustling, thriving, accessible, and inclusive community in the heart of our city.”

Mayor Caldwell was joined today at Winston Hale by Office of Strategic Development Administrator Sandra Pfund, Department of Facility Maintenance Deputy Director Eduardo Manglallan, CC Engineering and Construction, Inc. Vice President Chris Cheung and Group 70’s Russell Wozniak.

More information on micro-units:

3,000 square feet of vacant commercial space on two floors of Winston Hale is being converted into six micro-unit apartments that will house people experiencing homelessness. Each unit includes a studio-style bedroom, full bathroom, and a kitchenette with stove. Units range from 181 square-feet to 261 square-feet. One unit will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The $1 million project is a collaboration between the Office of Strategic Development, Department of Design and Construction, CC Engineering and Construction, Inc., Group 70 and SSFM Construction Management. Construction of one unit is complete and construction of all six units is anticipated to be finished by December.

More information on renovated existing units:

Renovation work to 29 out of 90 existing 320 square-foot units includes: repairs to bathrooms, plumbing, electrical systems, and walls; asbestos and lead paint abatement; and removal and replacement of doors and kitchen equipment. The total cost of renovations is $966,000. MJ Construction, Inc. has finished renovating 25 out of 29 units in need of repair.

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($966,000 / 29 = $33,310 per unit.)

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