What's New at Grove Farm
Grove Farm Agrees to Extend Deadline
KOLOA CAMP TENANTS NEED ADDITIONAL TIME: GROVE FARM AGREES TO EXTEND DEADLINE
In order to allow its tenants who require additional time, Grove Farm has agreed to extend the deadline for them to move out for an additional 30 days.
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more>>Open Letter to the Community
To Our Valued Island Friends and Neighbors:
There has been a lot of recent news regarding our Waihohonu Project in the "Koloa Camp" area. Please allow us this opportunity to provide
an overview of the project and an update on what has occurred.
For many years, Koloa Camp served as a housing site for plantation workers. Today, with the exception of one surviving spouse, the current tenants were not affiliated with the plantation. Spread out over 12 acres, there are only 5 homes, a former school building, and a former cottage, that are rented to 7 families. Most of the tenants have rented for over 20 years, at well below market rates.
Grove Farm has had a long history of providing affordable homes and house lots in the Puakea-Puhi area, and throughout the Waikomo and Wailaau subdivisions. We would like to do so again at the Koloa Camp site.
Moving ahead with this project will require our tenants to find alternative housing accommodations until construction is completed. In close coordination with the Mayor and County Housing Agency, we are working to help find alternative accommodations. From the outset, we met with the tenants and encouraged them to contact the Housing Agency to determine their income eligibility in order to offer them the lowest-priced affordable units. We also advised them to inquire into programs for financial assistance and to become homebuyer ready. We then arranged for a community services specialist from Hawaiian Community Assets to speak with the tenants individually and at a Koloa Community Association meeting. Other initiatives include:
- Offering to rent one of our Lihue rental units to Koloa Camp tenants.
- Working with one tenant to move their existing house to another property they own.
- The County's Paanau Village complex has an apartment available for one tenant.
- One couple was able to find a new place in mid-December of last year. Needing assistance with their deposit, we waived their pro-rated rent for December. They graciously sent a letter thanking us for our efforts over the past 25 years.
- For the tenants who have taken the initiative to find housing, we also offered to reimburse them for moving expenses up to $3,000.
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more>>Waihohonu (Koloa Camp)
Waihohonu, formerly known as Koloa Camp, is located in Koloa town along the Waihohonu Stream. This exciting new project will dramatically upgrade the nearly 100-year old, plantation era homes into 50 new, 2 and 3 bedroom homes.
Waihohonu will be priced at affordable or market-level prices. Renters of camp homes will be given first right to purchase new homes. In order to keep costs down and accelerate the opportunity for residents to own homes, an innovative, modular housing system will be used, which will significantly reduce construction waste.
In addition to being ideally located near Koloa's town core to create a walkable community, every home in Waihohonu will incorporate energy efficient measures, such as solar water heating pannels, and energy efficient appliances.
For more information about Waihohonu (Koloa Camp) click here.
Maha'ulepu Farm receives IAL designation
The State of Hawai'i Land Use Commission (LUC) unanimously approved Maha'ulepu Farm LLC's Important Agricultural Land (IAL) application thereby dedicating 1,533 acres on the South Shore of Kaua'i for agricultural use.
The land was originally owned by Grove Farm Company and Visionary LLC, dba as Lihu'e Land Company, and was then transferred to Maha'ulepu Farm. The IAL designated lands will be kept in agricultural use for the foreseeable future and the majority of the lands are located in the Maha'ulepu Valley area. The majority of the designated agriculatural acreage fulfills the IAL soil quality criteria and these lands are adjacent to the existing Waita reservoir and its vast water resources.
According to Warren Haruki, President & CEO of Maha'ulepu Farm, "we are pleased that the LUC has approved the dedication of such a significant amount of our lands for agriculture. It is our continued hope that more of the fruits, vegetables and other ag products that Kaua'i uses can be grown on the island for a more sustainable future. This is a small step toward the future objective of 'Eat Local' -- growing what we eat on Kaua'i."
The Maha'ulepu lands designated as IAL are currently in use for taro, fruit trees, small crops, seed cultivation and ranching. In fact, the W. T. Haraguchi family has already chosen to use some of these lands to dramatically increase their taro production.
Maha'ulepu Farm's voluntary IAL application was only the third entity throughout the State to have sought such a designation and to have received approval.
more>>
PBN Best in Business, Division II Finalist
Grove Farm Wins GE ecomagination Leadership Award
Grove Farm Employees Donate Their Time
In the third quarter of 2008, the Grove Farm Foundation was proud to support three non-profit organizations with monetary donations via its Employee Volunteer Grants Program. The purpose of the program is to encourage Grove Farm employees to support Kaua'i's island community through the gift of valuable volunteer service. By personally investing themselves to further the cause of their favorite local non-profit organizations, Grove Farm employees are able to directly impact and positively influence Kaua'i's future.
more>>Grove Farm Raises $25K for the UH Foundation
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