One of the largest tracts of undeveloped land on Oahu is being sold to the state for preservation as farmland, a nationally published report said.
The story in Monday’s edition of the Wall Street Journal said the Galbraith Estate has agreed to sell the 1,750-acre parcel to the state for $25 million for conversion into many small farms. The report cites "state officials involved in a deal that the parties involved haven’t yet made public."
Lea Hong, director for the Trust for Public Land, which is brokering the sale, said legal details were being worked out and the deal is still "a couple weeks" from closing.
U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono issued a statement supporting the sale in response to the Wall Street Journal report.
"It is encouraging news to see that some 1,750 acres of fertile central Oahu land will now be dedicated for use by island farmers," Hirono said. "At a time when we need to find ways to be more sustainable, the announcement that the state is in the process of purchasing the Galbraith Estate land exclusively for agricultural use moves us in the right direction toward growing more of the food we eat."
Louise Kim McCoy, spokeswoman for Gov. Neil Abercrombie, noted the transaction was not yet final but said the administration also is supportive of such a plan.
"Gov. Abercrombie fully supports this transaction in order to preserve 1,750 acres for agricultural use," McCoy said. "The governor and his administration are doing all that we can to ensure that the sale closes successfully."
The Journal report calls the land sale reminiscent of the plot of "The Descendants," a novel made into a 2011 movie starring George Clooney. Clooney portrays a trustee facing a decision on whether to keep or sell a large tract of land that has been in his family for decades.
Ownership of the Galbraith Estate’s 1,750 acres of one-time pineapple farm land in Wahiawa passed through generations to roughly 600 heirs today, according to the Journal. Bank of Hawaii manages the estate in trust. The bank declined comment to the Journal.
State lawmakers set aside $13 million in general obligation bonds to try to buy the land after a 2007 development deal fell through.
State officials worked with the Trust for Public Land to raise the remaining $12 million through contributions, the Journal reported.
