Hale Haukani opens, new housing facility for UH Mānoa community
Hale Haukani, a $170-million student housing complex on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus, officially opened on Monday, August 18, with a blessing ceremony attended by UH President Wendy Hensel, Gov. Josh Green, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and other UH officials and community partners. Developed through a public-private partnership (P3), the project was built with minimal state funding and tuition revenue.
Located on the mauka (mountain) side of Dole Street between the East-West Center and Mānoa Stream, Hale Haukani (translation below) consists of two residential towers, 18 and 12 stories, with 316 units and 558 beds in studio, two-, three- and four-bedroom layouts. The facility also includes a new childcare center, retail space, study rooms, bike storage, laundry facilities and outdoor amenity decks. After the opening ceremony, residents began moving into the new facility, which is intended primarily for graduate students and junior faculty, followed by undergraduate students.
“This is more than just a housing project, it’s an investment in our community and for the benefit of our students and faculty,” said UH President Wendy Hensel. “Hale Haukani will provide the students and faculty who live there with a home essentially on campus with amenities that support their academic success and personal well-being. Hale Haukani demonstrates our commitment to having modern facilities available to our students through innovative partnerships that minimize costs for taxpayers, students and their families.”
UH’s Second Public Private Partnership
Hale Haukani is UH’s second P3 student housing project, following the 2023 opening of the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center. Privately owned and financed by the Collegiate Housing Foundation (CHF) with the loan proceeds from tax-exempt bonds issued on behalf of CHF, the project was developed and constructed by Greystar Development Services, LLC and Swinerton Builders on land leased to CHF by UH. The student housing complex will be privately operated for CHF by a subsidiary of Greystar. CHF will use the rental income from the residents of the project to repay the bonds along with an annual contribution of $2 million from UH to subsidize rents so that they remain below the market rate for comparable units. With the opening of the facility, UH Mānoa students will now have more than 4,000 beds available to its students on or adjacent to campus, the most in the university’s history.
