The landowner of a historic plantation camp in Koloa, Kauai, sued three tenants Tuesday who failed to vacate the property by Sunday’s eviction deadline.
Haupu Land Co. LLC, an affiliate of Grove Farm Co., filed suit in District Court for summary possession against three tenants who remained on the property.
"After working with our tenants over the past five months to assist in finding them other rentals, our final deadline was firm," Grove Farm Vice President Marissa Sandblom said in a statement.
The tenants were summoned to appear in court April 30.
In November, Grove Farm issued 13 tenants — eight residential and five agricultural — a 120-day notice to vacate the property to make way for a proposed 50-unit housing subdivision called Waihohonu. The landlord extended the deadline by 30 days to give tenants more time to make alternative living arrangements.
In the lawsuits, the landowner is seeking an order for a law enforcement officer to remove the remaining tenants from the property.
Of the eight residential tenants, three have moved out since the issuance of the eviction notice, and two were allowed to stay on the property for two more weeks after the eviction deadline until their rentals are ready, Sandblom said.
Longtime resident John Kruse, one of the three tenants the landowner is suing, said he is not disappointed and that perhaps it’s time to move on. "The lesson is change is constant," said Kruse, an original crew member of the voyaging canoe Hokule‘a who raised his son, Kepa, at Koloa Camp.
Kruse and his son have been boxing up their belongings and are finding a place to stay. "We’re still looking," he said.
The tenants were on a month-to-month lease agreement with the landowner. Rents ranged from $400 to $1,000 a month.
According to the Hawaii residential landlord-tenant code, "The landlord may sue to evict the tenant any time during the first 60 days of the holdover (if the tenant stays beyond 120 days after receiving notice of termination of a rental agreement). However, if the landlord does not sue to evict the tenant within the 60 days and there is no new rental agreement, a month-to-month tenancy at the rent stated in the previous agreement is created."
Grove Farm had said it planned to break ground this month for the proposed project. Officials, however, have yet to submit permit applications to the Department of Planning. Grove Farm could not be reached for comment on whether changes were made to the groundbreaking date.
Some tenants, like Joey Pajela, have decided to leave Koloa Camp and move to temporary housing in Lihue. Pajela, who lived at the site for 25 years, said she is saddened to leave and will miss the tightknit community. "We always looked out for each other."
"The house has a lot of memories for us," she added. "My children grew up in that house."
Pajela said she placed her name on the list for the proposed housing project. "I needed to think about my family," she said of her two adult children and grandchildren. "I didn’t want to pass on the opportunity for a home."
Grove Farm officials had said they will give Koloa Camp tenants priority to purchase new homes in the proposed subdivision.
