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Former firefighter Byron Jiro Kaneshiro has been running the BHL Farm on leased land in Waimanalo for about five years but has long dreamed of creating a fee-simple legacy that he can leave to his family.
Kaneshiro was among the more than 100 people that turned out Sunday to hear about Orchard Plantation, a farming project by Peter Savio, which will offer local farmers the opportunity to own fee-simple land in Waialua. The kickoff for Savio’s fourth and newest agricultural project was so well attended that it was standing room only, and cars filled the Mango Street Grill parking lot and surrounding streets.
Savio, who heads Savio Realty Ltd., said 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. He said his prior three agricultural projects — two in Waialua and one in Wahiawa — already have gone to lottery and sold out in record time.
Savio said he is under contract to buy 155 acres of Waialua orchard land from Dole Food Co. The parcel that Savio is buying borders Kamehameha Highway and is bisected by Cane Haul and Helemano roads.
He expects to develop Orchard Plantation into roughly 118 farming lots depending on demand. Currently, the minimum acquisition is 2 acres; however, Savio said he is considering removing that limit.
Michael Kop said he hopes that the requirement changes, as he is a fan of Savio’s affordable projects and wants to buy just one acre with his wife in this one.
“My wife wants to raise a flower farm,” Kop said. “She teaches haku (flower crown) classes.”
Savio told farmers that he needs to come up with $9 million to move forward on Orchard Plantation, which he expects to sell for roughly $130,000 an acre, or more if upfront cash falls short and he has to finance the project.
Savio said that initially, buyers would have a 99-year license to start farming the land, which would convert to fee-simple within a year upon the state approving the project as a condominium association, where owners will manage the orchard lands in perpetuity.
Savio’s plans also include offering 60 5,000-square-foot house lots in a plantation camp if the city approves the concept, which he said “restricts the resale value so the camp will be sold based on income so over time it will be always be affordable.”
“The house lot is important because it now makes the agricultural lots easy to finance —FHA, VA , conventional financing and all the government programs. So the key is the city approving the plantation camp. Then this becomes a very viable farming community.”
Kaneshiro, who grew up on a plantation camp in Haleiwa as a child, said he wants his seven grandchildren to experience living and working in a farming community. He already has two acres in Savio’s earlier Ohana Farm Parcels project, where he was the 18th draw for the property.
Kaneshiro hopes he is successful in the upcoming lottery for Orchard Plantation, which will be held Feb. 18 at Mango Street Grill. In addition to farming the land, he wants to build an affordable house in each project.
“Our kids struggle. I can’t imagine that our grandchildren would ever be able to afford a $1 million property; with the wages that we make here, it just doesn’t correlate,” Kaneshiro said. “If this weren’t around, there would be no other options because of the pricing.”
Racquel Achiu, owner of Ka‘ala Livestock, said she attended the briefing as Savio’s project eventually must seek support from the North Shore Neighborhood Board, were she serves as vice chair.
“At this point our focus is to hold him to the fire and to the requirements of zoning and land use,” Achiu said. “I’m cautiously optimistic. In regard to his other projects, he’s been transparent. He’s been willing to meet whenever we asked, and he’s answered all of our questions.”
Still, Achiu said North Shore community members have become increasingly concerned about losing farmland to residential use without farming.
“There’s a lot of crooked farms,” Achiu said. “There are developers out there that have been disrespectful to the community and the land.”
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Star-Advertiser reporter Mark Ladao contributed to this story.
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