Ala Moana Condos

142 Listings

The expanding high-rise skyline has generated exciting renewal throughout Ala Moana. The latest retail and residential designs along main thoroughfares such as Kapiolani Boulevard and Keeaumoku Street are reinvigorating the area. New indie shops and casual cafes are invitations to enjoy a leisurely pace amid the busy streets. From urban energy to tranquil escapes, Ala Moana has it all in this premier island lifestyle destination.

An Evolving Urban Neighborhood

Ala Moana's residential housing emphasis for the future is on high-rise living. Honolulu's vision for dynamic housing expansion throughout the district has resulted in a new descriptive name coined by real estate promoters, Midtown Ala Moana.

The City and County's Transit-oriented Development (TOD) plan envisions 5,600 new housing units in mixed-use (residential/commercial) high-rise condos. The desired goal is "a livable high-density community and a model for walking, biking, and transit usage."

The new high-rise condos go far beyond "livable" with a host of amenities. Smart- phone-operated devices, the latest security features, infinity pools, fitness centers, outdoor entertainment centers, recreation areas, fully-equipped lounges, luxury lobbies, and private office and conference centers are just a few. The more luxurious the condos and complex, the more amenities.

The TOD's concept of "community" includes large and small commercial venues, especially restaurants and outdoor dining, and open spaces with plazas, gardens, and play areas. The plan also calls for wide, tree-lined walkways along the more traveled streets. This concept promotes walking and biking for commuting and a healthy lifestyle. This increase in pedestrian traffic is hoped to create a stronger sense of community.

The plan also describes new resident diversity as bringing a unique "fusion" of cultures. This fusion will further the cosmopolitan vitality of the area while keeping Ala Moana's local cultural traditions vibrant.

From Swampland to an Exciting Urban Hub

In the area's early history, the ocean shoreline generally ran along today's Ala Moana Boulevard. The makai (oceanside) Ala Moana area and the ewa (western) portion of Waikiki were known as Kalia. This land area and further inland were wetlands, a patchwork of ecologically rich Hawaiian fishponds and taro fields. When the Hawaiian kapu system ended in the early 1850s, King Kamehameha III sold an extensive area of Honolulu, including Kalia, to a royal relative.

Walter Dillingham's Hawaiian Dredging purchased the swamplands (as they were now called) in 1912 to dump dredged coral from its immense Pearl Harbor dredging project. While this coral material extended the shoreline, the mostly uninhabited area became a smelly city garbage dump.

During the 1920s, the recently dredged Ala Wai Canal spawned residential development in Waikiki. It also became the impetus for the park project. By the end of the decade, grand plans for a beautiful recreational park along the newly created shoreline were in development. The noxious garbage dump was finally removed.

Moana Park was opened and dedicated by then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1934. However, the construction of various planned venues and landscaping features was ongoing.

Around this time, small pockets of cozy island-style bungalows sprang up in the northwest inland area above Kapiolani Blvd. However, the drained former swampland above Ala Moana Blvd. remained largely undeveloped.

During World War II, Moana Park, a lovely fusion of Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and Pacific-inspired park design, became a military battery and staging area. In the mid-40s, a planned limited-use runway on the reef along Moana Park was proposed but never approved by the state legislature. After the war, the park was restored, and the new parks board changed the name to Ala Moana Park ("pathway to the sea").

In 1955, with tons of sand from the leeward coast, a beach was created on the ocean side of the park. Fifteen years later, at the Diamond Head end of the reef, Magic Island (Aina Moana and its oceanside lagoon became part of Ala Moana Park. It hosts two very special annual events, the Fourth of July fireworks display and the popular cultural Lantern Lighting ceremony.

After World War II, Ala Moana, like the rest of Honolulu, experienced a housing boom. Inland neighborhoods of single-family homes and low-rise apartments filled the area while commercial businesses located along main streets.

In 1959, the year of statehood, the Ala Moana Center opened across from Ala Moana Park. The largest shopping mall in the country at that time, Ala Moana Center centralized Honolulu shopping and became an icon of modern Honolulu. Today, it remains the largest open-air shopping mall in the world, with an eclectic assortment of fashionable and upscale stores and brands.

About this time, the area also became known as Ala Moana. Kalia is now a street name in its Waikiki portion. However, the proposed Ala Moana Skyline rail station will be named Kalia.

The spacious, multi-award-winning Hawaii Convention Center (HCC), along the tree- lined Ala Wai Promenade and at the gateway to Waikiki, opened in 1998. The inspiration for its striking design is the Hawaiian concept of sense of place.

Even before the current high-rise impetus, Ala Moana was a trendsetter in future urban housing. Built in 1968, 1350 Ala Moana, a 33-story luxury condo tower across from Ala Moana Center, is the first residential high-rise in Honolulu.

A Varied and Vibrant Cosmopolitan Community

Hawaiians, Chinese, Japanese, Caucasians, and Pacific Islanders have been in the Ala Moana area for a long time. However, the cultural makeup is becoming even more diverse today as the multiple new high-rise condos draw home buyers from all over the globe. The cosmopolitan character of the area is reflected in the stores in Ala Moana Center and the many shops, large and small, throughout the district. Ala Moana restaurants run the gamut of cultural culinary delights. New cultural events and

celebrations will add to the traditional cultural vibrancy that Ala Moana already experiences.

An Abundance of Commuting Options

The nearby downtown business district (CBD) is just minutes away by car. However, most locations in Ala Moana are 2-3 miles from downtown, many even less. Another option is walking, jogging, or biking through Ala Moana and Kakaako on the new broad sidewalks and bike paths. When the streets are crammed with traffic, these alternatives might look very appealing – reducing vehicle traffic, saving parking fees, and getting healthy exercise, too!

Buses also flow between Ala Moana and the CBD, throughout Honolulu, and around the rest of the island. Taxis, Uber, and Lyft options are available. Ala Moana's central urban location provides easy access to major roadways, other Honolulu neighborhoods, and the H-1 Freeway to other parts of Oahu.

Skyline, the new rail system traveling east from Kapolei to Honolulu, will terminate in Kaka'ako at Halekauwila and South Sts. in 2031. Future plans include two more stops at Ward Ave. and Ala Moana Center. The Kalia (Ala Moana Center) station will extend Skyline under one mile from the Halekauwila St. station.

In Ala Moana's new high-rise condos with meeting rooms, state-of-the-art technology, and beautiful ocean and mountain vistas, a commute may be no further than an elevator to an office in the condo's commercial space. For entrepreneurial residents, a home office may be ideal.

Balmy Ocean Breezes and Sun-bathed Temperatures

Bordering the Pacific Ocean on its makai (ocean) side, Ala Moana enjoys pleasant breezes and cooling temperatures most of the year. The annual high temperatures are between 80°F (27°C) and 89°F (32°C). The annual low temperatures are between 65°F (18°C) and 75°F (24°C).

The average water temperatures are between 75°F (24°C) and 80°F (27°C). The monthly rainfall is only occasional umbrella weather - between negligible and less than 3 inches (76 mm). More rain occurs during the winter months. On average, there are five rainy days in the winter months and two rainy days in the summer months.

Charter and Private Schools Meeting the Needs of Housing Increases

One public elementary school (PK-5), two public middle schools (6-8), and one public high school (9-12) serve the Ala Moana district; however, the schools are located beyond the Ala Moana area. One middle school serves the eastern section of Ala Moana, and another serves the western portion. Bus transportation to and from school for all grade levels is on the city buses.

There are also some public charter schools in the vicinity. The Department of Education is aware of the ongoing surge in high-rise condo units in Ala Moana and Kakaako, and plans are currently being discussed about how to meet the need for extra classrooms at all educational levels.

Because of Ala Moana's central location, several established and highly regarded private and religious schools (PK-12) reside within 1-3 miles of the Ala Moana area.

Taking college courses is also convenient in Ala Moana's central location. The University of Hawaii Kapiolani Community College is by Diamond Head in nearby Kaimuki, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the primary campus, is just a few miles away in Manoa. Chaminade University is also in Kaimuki. Hawaii Pacific University is downtown next to the Aloha Tower. All of these universities offer campus classes and online courses.

Centrally Located to Several Outstanding Hospitals

The Queen's Medical Center, Straub Medical Center, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, Kuakini Medical Center, and Shriners Children's Hospital are all within a few miles of Ala Moana.

US News ranks the Queen's Medical Center number one among Hawaii hospitals. Queen's also receives recognition as a Magnet hospital, the highest national honor for nursing excellence.

Straub has received the America's 250 Best Hospitals Award (top 5%) in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and the Outstanding Patient Experience Award for the past 12 years. Straub is working on the first phase of a new state-of-the-art hospital facility in the same area as its present facility.

Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children is a member of the same network of health services as Straub, Hawaii Pacific Health. Kapi'olani is rated high-performing in specific cancer procedures.

On the western boundaries of Honolulu, Kaiser Permanente's Moanalua Medical Center and Tripler Army Medical Center for military personnel, their dependents, and retirees are accessible via the H-1 Freeway.

There are a couple of urgent care clinics in or near the Ala Moana Center when urgent care is needed. Straub and Queen's also have urgent care clinics minutes away in Kakaako.

Ala Moana is a harmonious blend of scenic natural beauty, traditional neighborhoods, and ultramodern mid-rise and high-rise condominium complexes designed with the island's ambiance in mind. Convenient, cosmopolitan, and brimming with lifestyle choices, Ala Moana is the smart choice in urban living.