Two popular grocery stores in Waipahu are expected to close this year, leaving many residents without a convenient place to shop.

Times Supermarket and Don Quijote will be closing their doors to make room for affordable housing and retail development. The move is part of a bigger plan to further develop areas near the newly opened Skyline stations in Waipahu.

“The plan is to kind of grow that plantation town character that Waipahu has,” said Harrison Rue, the state’s TOD (transit oriented development) program manager.

Ridership is expected to increase for both the rail and city buses.

“Proposed TOD projects will include more affordable housing, schools, parks, businesses and jobs within walking distance of transit stations. We’re hoping for more and more people to have access to and to utilize Skyline.” Rue added.

On the other hand, residents expressed their disappointment with the decision.

“I didn’t realize they were going to close,” said Dyane Marcelo, an Ewa Beach resident.

“Don Quijote carries a lot of stuff that other grocery stores don’t carry. They have everything here, from the meat section, to the Japanese products, that you won’t get anywhere else.” she added.

“I live close to a Times, but driving a little further for the nearest Don Quijote kinda sucks,” said Chester Gomes, a Kunia resident.

The nearest Times Supermarket and Don Quijote stores are located in Kunia and Pearl City, respectively.

A new Don Quijote location is expected to open in Kapolei in the former Kmart building, although a date has not yet been announced.

Arell Vivit is a freshman majoring in journalism at UH Manoa with an interest in sports journalism.