LIHU‘E — Construction for Safeway’s Hokulei Village shopping complex will begin in July at the corner of Nuhou Street and Kaumuali‘i Highway in Lihu‘e. The long-anticipated 56,000-square-foot Safeway, the second on Kaua‘i, will be the anchor tenant of a long-awaited
LIHU‘E — Construction for Safeway’s Hokulei Village shopping complex will begin in July at the corner of Nuhou Street and Kaumuali‘i Highway in Lihu‘e.
The long-anticipated 56,000-square-foot Safeway, the second on Kaua‘i, will be the anchor tenant of a long-awaited 14.25-acre complex. A Walgreens pharmacy, a Petco pet supply store, a Jack in the Box restaurant and a bank will join several other stores and offices that are in the leasing process.
“There were economic challenges and this project is long overdue. The time is now right and we’re anxious to get started,” said Gerry Wolfe, vice president for development with Property Development Centers, a Safeway affiliate.
The Hokulei Village project, on land purchased from Grove Farm Co., has been in planning since 2008. Its start was delayed by a number of factors, including the national economic slowdown, the expansion of Kaumuali‘i Highway fronting the site, and redesigns resulting from Safeway’s decision to break the center up into two phases.
“Grove Farm has invested many years in improving the Lihu‘e-Puhi area and Hokulei Village is an integral part of our planning efforts. We understand that Kaua‘i residents have been eagerly awaiting this project and Grove Farm is pleased to see it finally moving forward,” said Grove Farm president and chief executive officer Warren Haruki.
Grading should begin in the second half of this year, underground infrastructure near the end of the year and vertical construction in January 2014.
The center’s Safeway store may proceed on an earlier schedule. Hokulei Village should open in mid-2014.
Safeway has worked closely with landowner Grove Farm to adjust the project to changing economic conditions. Safeway initially planned a center on the entire 22.8-acre commercially zoned site, but later opted to break the project into phases. Currently, PDC owns the 14.25-acre portion closest to Kaumuali‘i Highway, and retains an option to purchase from Grove Farm the remaining acreage.
Safeway and PDC held extensive conversations with the owners of neighboring properties, and adjusted the design based on those consultations. The project will include significant buffer areas and setbacks from existing roads, will be heavily landscaped and will preserve viewplanes.
The peak from which the center gets its name, Hokulei lies almost directly south of the site. The project will also connect to existing walkways throughout the area.
