Strong Response Received to UH Manoa Student Housing Project RFQ

The University of Hawaiʻi has received a strong response to its Request for Qualifications (RFQ) from private developers to build student housing on the UH Mānoa campus. Eleven developers responded to the university‘s RFQ, which was issued late last year.

This first phase of the university‘s efforts to address student housing needs is the development of at least 800 beds on the current site of Frear and Johnson Halls and the International Gateway House. After reviewing these responses, the university will select a short list of three to five development teams, who will then be asked to submit development proposals. One developer will ultimately be recommended for the project to the UH Board of Regents for approval.

"As soon as the Request for Qualifications was issued, we had immediate and enthusiastic responses from the major players among student housing developers nationwide and the real estate community," said UH Mānoa Chancellor Peter Englert. "Naturally, we are delighted with the number of developers who have submitted their qualifications, and we hope to move ahead as quickly as possible to meet the need in this high demand area."

The developers who have submitted their qualifications to the university are:

· Actus Lend Lease LLC of Honolulu, teamed with Allen & O‘Hara Development Co., LLC of Memphis, Tenn.;

· America First Companies of Omaha, Neb.;

· American Campus Communities of Austin, Texas;

· Collegiate Development Services, LP, of Austin, Texas;

· Forest City Enterprises, through its Los Angeles and Hawaiʻi offices;

· A development team composed of Hawaiian Island Homes Ltd., PER, Inc., and private investors;

· Hughes Development LP of Dallas, Texas;

· El Paso, Texas-based Hunt ELP, Ltd., through its Honolulu office, teamed with Place Properties and RIM Architects;

· KUD International, LLC, through its Honolulu office, and Capstone Development Corp. of Encinitas, Calif.;

· Mānoa Student Housing LLC, composed of EAH University Communities, a nonprofit public benefit corporation, and Student Housing Partners; and

· Spector Holdings, Ltd. of Honolulu.

The developers have formed teams with well established architectural, construction, financial and other firms from Hawaiʻi and the mainland.

The short list of finalists is expected to be announced in early February.

For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/oci