Name: 'Fake Farms' Are Squeezing Out Serious Agriculture Potential In Hawaii
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'Fake Farms' Are Squeezing Out Serious Agriculture Potential In Hawaii

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&nbsp;Olomana Heights’ developer, Chad Waters, declined to comment; however, an email from his firm asserted that soil quality is such that the House and Senate bills would have had no effect on the development.But whether Olomana Heights would allow such messy activities in a neighborhood of homes where the lots start at a million bucks would be up to the neighborhood, not the county.While the specter of running afoul of the committee might discourage a farmer hoping to set up, say, a smelly pig farm in Olomana Heights, the greater concern for farmers is the cost of land.Two miles away from Olomana Heights, tucked near the foot of the Koolaus in Waimanalo, Fung Yang runs his organic mushroom operation, .With big heaps of mouldering compost and big trucks occasionally hauling wood waste onto the property, it’s a smelly and at times noisy operation. But it’s also small, about one-fifth of an acre, because Yang grows his mushrooms on racks in dark, refrigerated shipping containers.Yang said he considered buying a two-acre lot in Olomana Heights and moving his operation there, with half the lot for his farm and the other for a house and a buffer between it and the mushroom operation. But given the cost of land, he said, the only way to make the venture work would be to rent out the house and use the income to help service his mortgage. Actually living in Olomana Heights and running his farm there was out of the question, he said.Instead, he has another idea.Yang said he thinks his best bet will be to find some agriculture property near something nobody would want to live next to, like a highway or sewage treatment plant. He’s already found such a site, he said. And although it’s listed at around $500,000 an acre, Yang thinks he can get a better deal by convincing the owner that no person will want to build a luxury home next to a nuisance.“Basically, I have to be creative,” he says.Nick Wong, co-founder of Beer Lab HI, has noticed the same issue: to afford farm land on Oahu, he’ll need to use it for more than farming.A former nuclear engineer who started brewing beer as a hobby, Wong has a dream of at least partially vertically integrating his operations by starting a farm. That would mean employing even more workers – Beer Lab has about 35 now – and keeping money in the local economy.With three Beer Lab locations on Oahu, Wong has ample demand for produce — for beer and bar food. But he said farmland is just too expensive, given that he’s competing for it with luxury housing developers.The only way to make a venture pencil out, Wong said, is to be able to build a brewery and pub at the farm, which he said zoning laws generally wouldn’t allow without a variance or special permit, which is far from a sure thing.“I’m not going to buy a $2 million or $3 million property with the hope that I’ll be able to use the land how I need to be able to use it to make money,” he said. “It’s where I have to draw the line in trying to save the world.”The situation is even more pronounced for ranchers.The House and Senate bills are meant to address precisely such challenges facing farmers.The bills are the result of a multi-year process that included three meetings, organized by the state Planning Office, with farmers and some of Hawaii’s most powerful interests, including Kamehameha Schools, the state’s largest private landowner, and the , a lobbying group for developers.The report to the Legislature published in December outlined several objectives. One was to keep suitable ag lands for agriculture, recognizing that not all agriculture lands are suitable for farming. Another objective was to “keep agricultural lands affordable for farming.”“Non-agricultural uses drive up the cost of agricultural lands making it difficult for farmers to own or lease lands,” the report found, echoing people like Yang and Wong. “Farmers also need affordable housing for themselves and farm workers.”To that end, the bills make changes designed to make it harder to subdivide land into small parcels to make fake farms. The measures also tweak the state’s condominium law, something that can also be used to effectively subdivide land without going through the more expensive subdivision process, which is governed by counties.The bills also tighten the definition of “farm dwelling.” A farm house would have to be truly an accessory to a farm, and farm operations would have to produce at least $10,000 annually.The measure has support from the state Department of Agriculture, the Maui County Council, the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting and the Hawaii Cattleman’s Council.In testimony supporting the bill, Miyamoto wrote, “Lands zoned for agriculture should be used primarily for productive agricultural purposes, including family farming.”The only party , whichStill, the generally widespread support is encouraging to Tarnas, the author of the House bill.During this election season, we hope that our coverage provides you with the information to make informed decisions on issues that you care deeply about.Whether it’s affordable housing, education or the environment, these issues depend on your vote, and&nbsp;our ability to report on them depends on your support.So, if you found value in our coverage,&nbsp;

&nbsp;Olomana Heights’ developer, Chad Waters, declined to comment; however, an email from his firm asserted that soil quality is such that the House and Senate bills would have had no effect on the development.But whether Olomana Heights would allow such messy activities in a neighborhood of homes where the lots start at a million bucks would be up to the neighborhood, not the county.While the specter of running afoul of the committee might discourage a farmer hoping to set up, say, a smelly pig farm in Olomana Heights, the greater concern for farmers is the cost of land.Two miles away...

'Fake Farms' Are Squeezing Out Serious Agriculture Potential In Hawaii

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