Hāna Hub Project Progress Towards Securing a Site

ByHeidi Lea

PRESS RELEASE

Contact Information:
Hāna Business Council
Heidi Lea
(808) 435-2755
hub@hanafood.org

Release Date:
October 1, 2024

[Hāna, HI] – Hāna community leaders who have been organizing efforts to develop the Hāna Hub Community Kitchen and Food Aggregation / Resilience Hub (Hāna Hub) have made an important step towards securing the site for this development. A lease contract was signed on September 30, 2024, with an Option to Purchase Agreement, between 3P Hana Properties LLC and the Hāna Business Council, for a one year term beginning on October 1, 2024, for the property located at 20 Uwala Road in Hāna. Seed money to secure the lease has been provided by the Hana Maui Trust.

20 Uwala Rd, Hāna, HI

This property is described in the the University of Hawaiʻi Community Development Center (UHCDC) Site Selection Study: Located in the Hāna Agricultural Park, next to the Hāna Airport… Existing structures include a 2,016 SF 3 bedrooms/2 bath main residence built in 1980, a 1,000 SF open sided covered pavilion, and a 875 SF utility shed with kitchen and restroom facilities, both additions built in 2019. … A considerable portion of the property is site cleared, has minimal slope, and boasts a variety of mature fruit trees and tropical flowers. The property has most recently been utilized to host various cultural and community events. …The entire land area of 14.75 acres is larger than most of the other potential sites that had been considered for the Hāna Hub project.

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.

Support for this project has come through grant funding provided by the County of Maui Departments of Economic Development and Agriculture, with fiscal sponsorship support from the Hāna Chapter of the Hawaiʻi Farmers Union United and for this lease with the Hāna Business Council. Community discussions will be organized to review options for working with this land and for acquisition over the term of the lease.