MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii -- Leaders from congress and Marine Corps Base Hawaii, in partnership with Forest City Military Communities, LLC commenced phase one of the Marine Corps Base Hawaii Family Housing Public-Private Venture in a ground breaking ceremony held here April 4.
This privatizing project includes 1,175 homes in 13 neighborhoods throughout Marine Corps Base Hawaii, including Camp Smith and Manana. The scope of the work includes construction of 537 new housing units, the renovation of 23 historic homes at Heleloa and the demolition of 537 existing units.
“It takes hundreds of people to get to an event like today’s groundbreaking ceremony,” said Thomas W. Henneberry, chief operating officer, Forest City. “Countless hours of planning and meetings were needed to get something like this started.”
According to Henneberry, the project will grow as time progresses and active discussions have already commenced to begin phase two in October.
“This groundbreaking ceremony will only be outdone by our ribbon cutting ceremony of our first house and handing over the keys to the first resident sometime next year,” said Henneberry.
The project also includes building community centers, pools, tot lots, play lots, multi-purpose courts and many other amenities typically found in today’s planned communities.
Spouses of Marines designed the house plans. They were specifically engineered to meet their needs and concerns. The houses will all be Star-rated energy homes, using the most modern energy saving amenities, like solar hot water systems.
“We want to make this into a community that the Marines will be proud of,” said Jon Wallenstrom, senior vice president, Forest City Military Communities, Hawaii. “We are going to take this already beautiful place and improve upon it.”
The FCMC has over 80 years of residential and commercial real estate experience. Its property management company currently manages more than 36,000 residential units, including 7,400 homes in Hawaii, Illinois and Indiana for Navy Region Hawaii and Navy Region Midwest under the Navy’s PPV program.
“We have a world class team of architects and designers,” said Wallenstrom. “With the help of the Marine Corps we will make homes the service members can be proud of.”
Attending the event was the Honorable Neil Abercrombie, U.S. House of Representatives, and Brig. Gen. Steven A. Hummer, commanding general, Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
“This is a rededication to our commitment to the Marine Corps, its members and their families,” said Abercrombie. “We count on them and they should be able to count on us.”
The project is aimed at raising the quality of life for Marines and their families. By building stronger, safer and better quality housing, a little bit of certainty and peace of mind can be given to those Marines on deployment. They will not have to worry about their families’ housing or safety as much with these new communities, said Abercrombie.
“For the Marines and all other services, we need to provide security and stability for their families,” he added.
New houses will help the quality of life for Marines and also help the Marine Corps as a whole by providing better incentives to those who are thinking about joining or re-joining the ranks of the Marine Corps.
According to Abercrombie and Brig. Gen. Hummer, if the young men and women who join the military know they are going to be taken care of and have the certainty that comes with a high quality of life, retention and recruitment will also improve.
“Back in 1978 when I was a lieutenant stationed here I can remember going over to a fellow lieutenant’s house for a social gathering. In the house I was standing in a corner leaning against the wall and I swear I felt the wall shift,” said Hummer.
“The quality of life here on Kaneohe has drastically improved and will continue to improve.”
After all the key speakers spoke, the honored guests were each handed an O’o stick to commence the groundbreaking ceremony. After a traditional Hawaiian blessing, the sticks were thrust into the dirt to commemorate the beginning of the $320 million housing project.
“We are so proud to be in this partnership with the Marine Corps,” said Wallenstrom. “The Marine Corps holds Forest to task and motivates us and I think we motivate them as well. These are going to be world class communities.”
Hummer said he is well pleased with the progress of the project and is confident in the partnership between the two entities.
“We have a motto here of ‘Overwhelming Support;’ Forest City immediately adopted that motto,” he added. “We have another motto that this is the ‘base of choice,’ and with Forest City’s help we will be able to retain that motto.”