Maui County buys Kula community facilities after years of leasing

Maui County has acquired approximately 7 acres of land beneath the Kula Community Center and adjacent facilities for public use in perpetuity after years of leasing the property.

The $950,000 sale closed Friday, and the area was renamed the Von Tempsky Community Center Complex in accordance with a bill passed by the Maui County Council in 2022 to honor the generational Upcountry family that owned the parcel and agreed to the sale.

The county had been trying to acquire the property, situated off Lower Kula Road, since 2006 so the facilities would not be subject to leasehold terms, according to a news release. The complex includes tennis courts, picnic areas and a community center that is regularly used for community gatherings, classes and milestone events.

“The County of Maui today acquired a property that has long served as the heart of our community facilities in Kula,” Mayor Richard Bissen said in the release. “With the support of the Von Tempsky family, the Maui County Council, and Council Budget Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura, we can ensure that this well-loved area will continue to serve the community for generations to come.”

Sugimura, who holds the Council’s Upcountry residency seat, proposed funding for the acquisition and for years advocated for county ownership. The land had been leased by the county since the early 1950s.

Kimball Von Tempsky, the oldest family member in his generation and managing partner for the landowner, Von Tempsky Partnership, previously said his ohana was pleased to see the acquisition go through and was proud the county chose to rename the parcel after the family.