A state agency’s attempt to swap a popular Kakaako fitness studio for a nonprofit senior woodshop inside a World War II-era warehouse has collapsed under public pressure, leaving both groups’ futures uncertain as the property heads toward becoming affordable housing. The Hawaii Community Development Authority had planned to replace F45 Training Ala Moana with the nonprofit Honolulu Kupuna Shed at the warehouse, but the agency has since pulled back that plan amid questions over fairness and transparency.
The warehouse in question sits on Block P-2, a 6,880-square-foot structure built in 1943 with an adjacent parking lot at 956 Kawaiahao St., according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. HCDA acquired the property, along with the adjacent parcel at 955 Waimanu Street, from Ward Village developer Howard Hughes Holdings for $6 million in September 2025, a deal that also granted the developer 8,757.72 square feet of industrial floor area credit, according to Hawaii Community Development Authority records. The HCDA Kakaako Board had authorized the purchase in April 2025.
F45 Training Ala Moana currently pays about $300,000 a year in fair-market rent under its lease and counts more than 600 members, per the Star-Advertiser’s reporting. Co-owner Sara Freeman, who runs the gym with Keith Winnacott, asked that F45 remain open as long as possible to serve the community. The gym’s existing five-year lease was set to expire at the end of October, but HCDA has since offered a three-month extension through January, signed by Bill Chismar, that includes a clause allowing termination within 60 days if the eventual affordable-housing developer needs the property. HCDA Executive Director Craig Nakamoto later said he plans to extend F45’s lease for 12 to 18 months instead.
A Nonprofit’s Long Search for Stable Ground
Honolulu Kupuna Shed, established in 2016, is one of three Men’s Shed affiliates on Oahu and is affiliated with the U.S. Men’s Shed Association. The organization has about 240 members and charges $100 a year for membership. Its space features extensive woodworking machinery and a bike repair shop, and the nonprofit has built balusters for ‘Iolani Palace among its projects. Board minutes from HCDA in April 2025 recorded that the group processed and restored roughly 200 bicycles over the preceding year for community donation and low-cost transportation, according to Hawaii Community Development Authority minutes…