The state Hawaii Community Development Authority has approved the Ward Neighborhood Master Plan application by Victoria Ward Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of General Growth Properties.

HCDA’s board approved the plan today, with eight votes in support, one vote opposing the plan, and four excused.

The approval comes after numerous community meetings, and a recent settlement of a contested case hearing by a native Hawaiian descendant.

General Growth first submitted its application in April, but it was deemed complete by HCDA on July 16. HCDA had a deadline of Feb. 1 to make its decision.

“We’re very pleased,” said Jan Yokota, vice president of development for Hawaii. “We’ve been working on this master plan for two years and we’ve had a lot of community input.”

A master plan development agreement will now need to be drawn up by Victoria Ward and HCDA within two years.

General Growth envisions transforming the 60 acres it owns in Kakaako over the next 20-year time frame into a mixed-use urban village with new retail and office space, complete with pedestrian promenades, plazas and up to 4,300 additional residences in mid-rises and high-rises.

Several high-rises up to 400-feet tall would be built along Ala Moana as part of the vision.

Testimony in support of the project came from the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Enterprise Honolulu and various individuals who said it would revitalize the area.

Opposition came from community groups, such as Hawaii’s Thousand Friends, which expressed concerns about General Growth’s mounting debt problems and the need for an environmental review.

Before breaking ground on a specific project for the master plan, General Growth would need to get a development permit from HCDA.