Affordable Oʻahu Rentals Sit Empty for 10 Months

Mayor's speech celebrating new affordable housing units has been followed by delays in getting residents into the building.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Nearly a year after Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi celebrated the opening of 29 new affordable rental units in the city's Makiki neighborhood, the PenseMetro building remains empty as it awaits final permitting. The delays highlight issues with Honolulu's Bill 7 program, which offers incentives to developers to build low-rise affordable housing, as some city council members now propose gutting the program.

Why it matters

The PenseMetro delays underscore the challenges Honolulu faces in addressing its affordable housing crisis, with some 25,000 units projected to be needed by next year. The Bill 7 program was intended to accelerate affordable housing construction, but its future is now uncertain as council members debate revisions.

The details

PenseMetro, one of the first projects built under Honolulu's Bill 7 program, took about four years to construct - much longer than a similarly sized project nearby. Delays were caused by issues like moving power lines, ordering a transformer, and scheduling elevator inspections. Even with the delays, the developer considers Bill 7 a successful program for incentivizing small- and medium-sized builders. However, the projected monthly rent for a PenseMetro studio has risen from $1,400 to $1,900 due to inflation and construction challenges.

  • PenseMetro construction began in 2021.
  • Mayor Blangiardi celebrated the building's opening in April 2022.
  • As of February 2023, the building remains empty awaiting final permitting.

The players

Rick Blangiardi

The mayor of Honolulu who celebrated the opening of the PenseMetro affordable housing building in April 2022.

Nathaniel Char

The chair of the Makiki Neighborhood Board who expressed frustration that the PenseMetro building has sat empty for nearly 10 months.

Esther Kiaʻāina

A Honolulu City Council member who introduced a bill to essentially gut the Bill 7 affordable housing incentive program, citing concerns about building heights.

Don Huang

The principal of Collaborative Seven Companies, the developer of the PenseMetro project.

Brian Schatz

The U.S. Senator for Hawaii who opposed the proposed changes to the Bill 7 program, saying they would worsen the state's housing crisis.

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What they’re saying

“This is exactly what we know we need to create. It is absolutely on the money, at the right time, incredibly needed.”

— Rick Blangiardi, Mayor of Honolulu (Honolulu Civil Beat)

“It is incredibly frustrating. We had the blessing April of last year … and it's sitting empty.”

— Nathaniel Char, Makiki Neighborhood Board chair (Honolulu Civil Beat)

“Oʻahu residents face an acute and worsening housing crisis, and people need all the help they can get from their government. That's why I'm writing to express my deep concern regarding bills which would make it harder to build housing and make our existing housing crisis worse.”

— Brian Schatz (Honolulu Civil Beat)

What’s next

The Honolulu City Council is expected to consider a larger omnibus bill to revamp the Bill 7 affordable rental housing construction program, incorporating feedback from various stakeholders.

The takeaway

The delays in getting residents into the PenseMetro affordable housing building highlight the challenges Honolulu faces in addressing its housing crisis, even as the city's Bill 7 program aims to incentivize more affordable development. The program's future is now uncertain as some city council members propose changes that could slow housing production at a critical time.