Developer plans to sell 222 acres in Wahiawa to local farmers

Developer Peter Savio is offering local farmers a chance to buy small lots on 222 acres in Wahiawa at what he says are below- market prices as part of his push to make available more affordable agricultural land.

Savio announced the availability of Ohana Farm Parcels ranging from 2 to 5 acres, located on the Haleiwa side of Dole Plantation, to about 100 people who attended two presentations Saturday at the site, with many signing up for a lottery to buy the lots.

“I want to be sold out by farmers. We really are not interested in investors,” Savio told the crowd. “I might just say, ‘Sorry, we’re not going to sell because there’s not much left, and I’ll wait for farmers to come.’”

Savio, who heads Savio Realty Ltd. and has decades of experience in Hawaii real estate, said he bought the acreage from Aloun Farms for about $29 million. The former owner had already worked and irrigated the soil for years to produce fruit and vegetables for market.

He said that earlier this year he purchased two other properties in the Waialua area to also sell to farmers. He reported spending about $10 million for 283 acres of Dole Food Co. farmland and $5 million to $6 million for about 50 to 60 acres nearby.

The Ohana Farm Parcels will be sold fee simple for $109,000 per acre, meaning lottery winners who complete the process will own the land outright instead of leasing.

Savio announced the lottery will take place Sept. 4, with two more presentations for prospective buyers at 10 a.m. and noon Saturday and Aug. 28 at the site.

Linda Lovan, whose parents have been farming in Hawaii for 30 years, attended one of the presentations Saturday with her father. The family currently leases land from the state, but the lease ends in September. Lovan said getting ahold of the kind of affordable farmland Savio is offering has been challenging.

“Nowadays there’s a lot of competition. There’s a lot of people who want to farm, which is nice, but it’s hard for my family,” she said, noting that her parents don’t speak English well.

She said that leaving their current farmland, which they have leased for 11 years, would be difficult because they would have to abandon their fruit trees and other aspects of their business and start over. That wouldn’t be an issue if they were able to buy land and not worry about lease renewals.

Lovan also noted that Savio’s lots are near a water source, which would be a cheaper alternative to the $4,000 average monthly water bill the family pays for their current farm.

Not only experienced farmers were interested in Savio’s offer. One couple at Saturday’s presentation was hoping to buy land for their son, who wants to become a farmer.

Sirena Kumabe, whose family lives in Mililani, entered the lottery for one of the lots because her son, who grows vegetables in their backyard and their neighbor’s, just started training to be a farmer in the statewide GoFarm Hawaii program, she said.

“In Hawaii, young farmers cannot buy land; it’s too expensive for the younger generation,” Kumabe said. “They need a (foot in the door).”

Savio said he expects the farm lots to be bought almost immediately once they become available, which he said was the case for the other two projects this year.

Access to affordable land is one of the most significant obstacles Hawaii farmers face, in part because the land is usually too expensive but also because of competition from wealthy, out-of-state investors.