LIHUE — Building construction is underway on Kauai’s southeast shore at Kukii Point and along Hokuala’s Ocean Golf Course, just east of the famed Kalapaki Bay.
With only months remaining until the June grand opening, Timbers Kauai Ocean Club &Residences are building fast with more than 200 workers on site, mostly contracted locally.
“Aside from the jobs that will absolutely be here and getting the amount of employed folks at Hokuala as a whole to over 100 with Timbers Kauai included, you’ve got jobs, property taxes and taxable revenue that will come from being an open resort, and then all the things that we’re doing within Hokuala as a whole that aren’t shutting out the community but inviting them to come in more often,” said Eric Cucchi, senior project manager at Hokuala.
The new construction is taking place on the 450-acre oceanfront resort of Hokuala to offer 47 residences totaling 140,000 square feet with all the modern amenities, including public restaurants and retail stores.
The three new construction projects consist of the Maliula condominium units, Kaiholo two-story homes and Laola townhouses developed and operated by Timbers Resorts of Carbondale, Colo.
Whole ownership opportunities are priced from $2.4 to $9.5 million for the five oceanfront townhomes and 17 condominium residences. Shared-ownership opportunities are starting from $355,000 to $850,000 for the 25 available residences shared in fractions.
“We’re not trying to build this separated from the rest of the community or the island, we want to build in harmony with it,” said Cucchi, who has also been recently named new general manager of Timbers Kauai Ocean Club and Residences. “So it’s going to entail us being a part of initiatives that are happening for environmental stewardship, cultural sustainability, that sort of thing.”
The exterior of the Maliula building is nearing completion with all the scaffolding taken down. The structure features 28 two- and three-bedroom condo homes with private lanais. Wall-to-wall stacking glass windows have been installed, along with the foundation for its family pool. Mill work, flooring and trim is complete in the model residence scheduled for an open house in March.
Amenity spaces are taking shape at the 14 two-story Kaiholo residences, which each boast 3,100 square feet of interior living space. Foundations for two infinity pools overlooking the Pacific have been laid. Courtyard planters have been installed and are being prepared for lush outdoor gardens. The first trees, coconut palms, banyan and monkey pods, have arrived on site and are being planted around the lagoons and courtyard. Permanent power has been connected to both buildings.
“One really exciting feature is the heat-exchange water feature on the island positioned behind Maliula and the courtyard to Kaiholo,” Cucchi said. “The air conditioning is run off a heat-exchange system that has to discharge warm water. So we designed it into a water feature and filled it for the first time today. It works beautifully with a really cool ambient sound and makes sure the water is cooled before it hits the lagoon again.”
At the construction site of the five Laola townhouses, underground plumbing has commenced. Only three whole ownership residences remain available for purchase. Excavation for concrete-grade beams and foundation is underway for its scheduled September opening.
With every detail taken care of, owners have the advantage of a fully turn-key oceanfront experience, working directly with teams of architects and designers to streamline the creative process of customizing a home.
The oceanfront views across Kalapaki Bay to Haupu mountain range can still also be enjoyed by residents with continued access to public trails on the property.
“We’ve got the trail system on the north end of the property, obviously the golf course isn’t private, and then we’ve been reviewing the building of a farm with community plots and opportunities for after-school programs for kids to come learn about sustainable farming,” Cucchi said. “With each year we’re going to be able to become more of a part of various initiatives on island.”
