Hāna Hub Site Leased with Option to Purchase Agreement
October 1, 2024 marked a significant milestone for the Hāna Hub project with a lease agreement for the 14.57 acre property at 20 Uwala road signed between the owner of the property, 3P Hana Properties LLC, and the Hāna Business Council (HBC) acting as the fiscal agent for the project. And initial donation of $20,000 from the Hāna Maui Trust was contributed to cover initial rental and maintenance costs, and a fundraising campaign has begun as posted in the HānaFood article, “Fundraising for the Hāna Hub…“
In December 2022, the Hāna Chapter of the Hawai’i Farmers Union, acting as the project umbrella, received funding from the County of Maui Office of Economic Development to support the first phase of project development for planning and design of a shared-use certified kitchen and agricultural processing facility in Hāna. The Community Design Center at UH School of Architecture (UHCDC) was contracted to provide support for the project which culminated in the Hāna Hub Proof of Concept Report.
More can be read about this property in the University of Hawaiʻi Community Development Center (UHCDC) Proof of Concept under the Site Selection Study Appendix C. Section referenced as ʻSite 1:Coconut Grove’ on pages 178 – 183. This study can be found linked to the HanaFood.org homepage.
We look forward to celebrating this milestone by blessing this land – stay tuned for the invite!
Important factors that are yet to be determined will be determining current and future facility capabilities and capacity; management and governance; and budget and funding sources for next phases of planning and development.
Some of the potential functions of the Hana Community Kitchen include:
- Value-added processing of local products
- Certified support kitchen for food establishment permits for events and farmers market vendors
- Aggregation of local produce for cooperative transport and marketing in central Maui
- Processing of local proteins including fish and livestock
- Education, training and support for food safety, product development, packaging and labeling, marketing, business management, etc.
- Resilience Hub for Emergency Preparedness planning and community safety site
Along with the acting Fiscal Agent, Hāna Business Council, strategic partnerships were spearheaded through the vision of the Hāna Chapter of the Hawaiʻi Farmers Union with support from the state Hawaiʻi Farmers Union organization and foundation. Local alliances for food systems and community networks include Ma Ka Hana Ka ‘Ike, Kīpahulu ʻOhana, Nā Moku Aupuni o Koʻolau Hui, Ala Kukui, Kahanu Gardens, and others.
The need for a community kitchen in Hāna has existed for decades, and many residents will recall previous efforts that ended up not bearing fruit. The success of the Hāna Farmers Market and the renewed focus on local food security and economic diversification that came with the pandemic has brought new life to the effort. In October 2021, the Ways and Means Committee (WAM) of the Hawaii State Senate made a site visit to Hāna, and heard from many of our farmers and producers about the need for such a facility. At that time, Mayor Victorino affirmed his support for funding this initial phase of the project, with the goal to develop the project design that can then be taken back to WAM, as well to the federal government for infrastructure and rural development funding, to support the full design and implementation phases of the project. Fast forward to November of 2024 and this project has the support of Councilmember Shane Sinenci and our new leadership of Mayor Bisson to add $2.1 Million dollars into the Maui County budget to purchase this ʻāina.
Mahalo to the County of Maui and East Maui ʻOhana for the support! Although there remains much work ahead, we are eager to move forward, and confident in our ability to bring to fruition this project that truly serves the Hāna community’s needs!