A gift of 249 acres in Makaha Valley from The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation to MA‘O Organic Farms promises to open up additional opportunities and college assistance for young people interested in agriculture, while also adding to Oahu’s severely limited supply of affordable housing stock.

The prospects are tantalizing, and it’s in the best interests of Oahu and this state for MA‘O to succeed. To make it work, however, plenty of solid planning, both fiscal and logistical, will be necessary.

Of course, building housing is expensive and complicated in Hawaii. But the nonprofit MA‘O, aka the Wai‘anae Community Re-Development Corporation dba MA‘O Organic Farms, has been here before, as far as rising to a significant challenge. It took on a major surge in growth in 2019, partnering with Central Pacific Bank and Kamehameha Schools on a loan allowing it to acquire 236 acres of land adjacent to its current base in Lualualei Valley that was once slated for a golf course and owned by a Japanese developer.

This brought its 45-acre operation to 281 acres, and allowed its youth programs and organic food production to grow. Soon after, MA‘O began exploring the possibility of developing an agricultural housing project and expanding its earnings, with the goal of growing its financial sustainability.

MA‘O was established in 2001 to benefit Waianae by supporting farming traditions of the region while also providing support for youth, with a farm-to-college program pairing work on the farm with stipends and full tuition support for students at the University of Hawaii’s Leeward Community College, UH-West Oahu or UH-Manoa. The farm now supplies literally tons of organic produce each week to farmers markets, groceries and restaurants across Oahu.

The nonprofit generated annual revenue exceeding $1 million for the first time in 2021, but it is not flush with cash, returning most revenue in the form of stipends and services. MA‘O depends on grants to expand its services, as with $567,000 secured by Hawaii’s congressional delegation this year to construct an Agroforestry Training Baseyard for youth workforce programs.

While the Makaha Valley land came to MA‘O as a gift, its next challenge will be to finance and develop housing — and that again will require that MA‘O partner with experienced and competent partners who can provide help in attaining financing and in planning development.

MA‘O has already taken over ownership of the 249 acres. About 200 acres of the gift is zoned for residential use, in connection with a now-defunct — and once notorious — plan to make Makaha Valley a resort area, first raised by local business tycoon Chinn Ho in the 1950s. That plan was never substantially realized. (A 2016 plan involving golfing champ Tiger Woods also fizzled.)

There’s a parallel between the fact that MA‘O’s Lualualei property was once slated for a golf course and the former plans for a resort at Makaha. This is a satisfying outcome in both locations — tailored toward local residents, and providing opportunity to address local needs, which frankly include both housing and employment.

To the extent that development meshes with MA‘O’s mission of uplifting the Waianae Coast, the nonprofit would benefit the community by generating additional economic activity at the property. A partner such as Kamehameha Schools, with its extensive development and community-building experience, or another organization with deep local knowledge, would be helpful in that regard.

As has been the Weinberg Foundation, which is encouraging philanthropic, government, business and community partners to support MA‘O’s plans. Hear, hear!