Owners of Hana Ranch to sell — not to developer

The Maui News
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

By HARRY EAGAR, Staff Writer

The owners of Hana Ranch have listed it for sale, looking for someone who isn't concerned to get a money return on an investment of $65 million.

After the listing appeared at Island Sotheby's International, the usual alarm rippled through the community whenever the ranch changes hands, as it does every five or 10 years.

The partners met late last week and issued a statement about their intentions.

"The members of the Hana Ranch Partnership do not foresee selling the property to a developer," it said.

State Sen. J. Kalani English, whose district includes Hana, issued his own statement: "I am very pleased to see that Hana Ranch Partnership LLC . . . continue to support our community by seeking a suitable buyer for its property. We have been fortunate to have Hana Ranch Partnership as a neighbor, and our community looks forward to developing a similar positive relationship with their successor.

"As a resident of Hana myself, I know how divisive land use issues can become," English said. "Hana Ranch Partnership has demonstrated the sensitivity and foresight to treat the community as partners in finding suitable uses for their lands."

The suitable use for most of it, the partners' statement said, would be conservation and ranching. The ranch is 4,500 acres, and except for a few residences the current owners had no plans to develop them.

The partners, primarily Californians, had offered to set aside 100 acres for affordable housing and to donate 2 acres to expand Pa'ani Mai Park. They said that, "barring unforeseen developments beyond the control of the partnership," they expect a new owner will agree to honor those promises.

The partners took over the ranch in 2001, announcing intentions of very limited development, but primarily retention of its open character. By that time, the ranch had been separated from the Hotel Hana-Maui, Hana Ranch Store and other urban developments sponsored over generations by previous owners of the ranch, whose origins lie in a sugar plantation that closed during World War II. The hotel is owned by Passport Resorts, a different group of Californians.

The partners said in their statement that they hope to find a "conservation/community-minded buyer" and "particularly wish" to reassure their employees about this expectation.

The statement said no active negotiations for a sale have occurred, although they have received some "preliminary interest."

* Harry Eagar can be reached at heagar@mauinews.com.

Original article URL: http://www.mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/508834.html

Return to Sen. English Home Page - KalaniEnglish.com

Home Bills and Resolutions About Senator English Committees Community Profiles Newsletter Archive News Archive Capitol Web Site Media Photos

Connect with Senator English

OUR DISTRICT