Developer launches Ho’opili-branded produce

D.R. Horton Hawaii, which plans to build 11,750 houses on farmland in Ewa, launched the "Grown in Ho’opili" brand on Tuesday to "honor the agricultural heritage of the area."

The Grown in Ho’opili label will be attached to produce grown on about 200 acres of the 1,500-acre proposed West Oahu master-planned community, the company said.

"Colorful labels will mark all fresh produce from Ho’opili so that shoppers will have an opportunity to support locally-grown produce," the company said in a news release.

The state Land Use Commission approved the Ho’opili project two years ago despite opposition from the Sierra Club’s Hawaii chapter, community group Friends of Makakilo, state Sen. Clayton Hee and others who said it would take away some of the best agricultural land on the island.

To help compensate for the loss of farmland, D.R. Horton agreed to dedicate more than 200 acres of the project to commercial farms, community gardens and home gardens.

The Ho’opili development site, which is roughly bordered by the H-1 freeway, Ewa Villages, Fort Weaver Road and Kualakahi Parkway, has long been within the urban growth boundary designated by the city to accommodate population growth and protect farmland elsewhere on Oahu from development.