Queen’s seeks city approval for $100M hospital expansion

The nonprofit Queen's Medical Center, the state’s largest private hospital, is seeking city approval for an estimated $100 million expansion of its 17-acre Punchbowl Street campus in Honolulu. The redevelopment plan includes two new towers for outpatient and inpatient services, additional parking garages and a possible Miller Street pedestrian bridge.

Construction would take place over the next 15 years and is designed to accommodate a substantial growth in patients as Hawaii's population ages. Queen's said it has shared its proposal with area residents and has full support of the neighborhood board. It expects city approvals by October and construction to begin in two years once planning and design work is completed.

• Phase one would be completed by 2015. It involves redeveloping Lauhala Street and erecting a new 200,000-square-foot tower for outpatient services and a 600- to 700-stall parking garage. The Hawaii Medical Library will converted into an office building, while Pauahi Tower will get an exterior face lift.
• Phase two is projected to conclude in 2020 and includes an expansion to the General Services Building, used for education and research and a possible Miller Street pedestrian bridge connected to the parking structure.
• A final phase, to end in 2025, includes a new 200-bed inpatient tower with an estimated 230-stall underground parking garage. The Punchbowl campus will expand to 18.7 acres.

The nonprofit health care center, a subsidiary of The Queen's Health Systems, had originally proposed in 2004 a five-year campus overhaul that included expanding the Queen Emma Tower and adding a sister tower. That plan was revised due to the economic downturn and pressure to reduce costs. Today, Queens has 533 beds, 23 buildings, more than 3,000 employees and more than 1,200 physicians on staff.