A short drive away from Waikiki, a massive development is occurring at Ward Village. Set upon 60 acres, this master-planned community is on the south shore of Oahu and offers its residents 5 malls, 3 parks, pedestrian and bike-friendly paths, and shopping and dining right outside your doorstep. One of the notable value propositions of this development is its commitment to promoting a “health and wellness lifestyle.” A Whole Foods is baked into the ground floor of one of the developments, Aeo, so those lucky residents can just hop downstairs for groceries or the hot food bar. Within the Waiea building, with its multimillion-dollar ocean views, one can dine at the delicious Robata Jinya downstairs, featuring gold-flecked omakase delicacies. Other nearby full-service dining options include Merriman’s and Istanbul Hawaii. This development has been underway for over a decade in the Kaka’ako district, and continues to build out the various residential options over time. The map below is a few years old, but its vintage feel and charming layout gives one a sense of how such a large development also manages to feel like a village to its residents.
While traffic from visitors has had its ups and downs year-over-year at Ward Village, there has generally been an increase from residents. Interestingly, there were some dips from residents in October and November, but possibly they were going farther afield to do holiday shopping elsewhere. As of December, visits from residents were up year-over-year.
Of note, when looking at Favorite Places, the residents of Ward Village are much more likely to choose locales that are within a 2 mile or so radius. In contrast, some of the favorites that pop up for visitors include Pearlridge Center (8.3 miles away) and Pearl Highlands Center (10.5 miles away). As many shopping centers redevelop into mixed-use, this type of analysis reveals that having residents near shopping/dining can be a win-win all around.
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