Providing for the Community
Building Sustainable Communities is the culmination of applying the lessons learned from sustainable lands and the six sustainable initiatives. A sustainable community is one that provides robust learning initiatives, diverse employment opportunities, multi-generational living arrangements, and a happy, healthy island for all to enjoy.
A Long-Standing Housing Goal
One of Grove Farm’s long-standing goals is providing housing for local residents. In our earliest days, George Wilcox constructed plantation camps to house employees. Eventually, house and lot packages were developed, and Grove Farm was the first plantation statewide to offer employees the ability to purchase their homes.
Today, Grove Farm continues its focus on residential development with the island’s residents in mind. These communities naturally grew around areas with convenient access to commerce, civic centers, schools and facilities that make a community a community.
Take, for example, the community of Koloa. Grove Farm developed over 245 lots – many which were focused on its employees – which included Waikomo and Kōloa Block. Our future development of Waihohonu will also be located near the town core to allow for walkability to the markets, school, post office, stores, banks, churches, and other amenities you would find in a community. Increased walkability to hubs of business takes cars off the road and relieves Kaua’i’s growing traffic problems.
Sustainable Communities Projects
In today’s world, offering a range of housing opportunities with mixed land use and walkable neighborhoods is key to a sustainable community. This concept holds true in our Lihuʻe-Hanamaulu-Puhi Master Plan Community. Smart Growth principles include a choice of housing opportunities such as single-family dwellings like Hokulei Estates, multi-family units such as Halelani and Hookena, duplexes including Regency at Huleʻia and Halemalu, and an assisted living community with the Regency at Puakea. All of these residential units are in close proximity to the middle school, community college, restaurants, retail establishments, offices, and recreational activities.
Lihuʻe and Kōloa Subdivisions
Since the 1950s, Grove Farm has spearheaded these developments in collaboration with multiple agencies to provide these lots and affordable homes to Kauaʻi's residents.
In Lihu’e, Grove Farm developed subdivisions such as Ulu Kukui, Ulu Mahi, Ulu Ko, Komohana, Puako, Pikake, Puakea, Villas at Pu'ali, and the Puhi Subdivision. Back in 1966, 67 lots in the initial phase of Puhi Subdivision were sold to employees of Grove Farm. Affordable housing projects make up more than half of all the lots developed by Grove Farm, which makes Grove Farm the largest developer of affordable units in the island’s history.
| Subdivision | Number of Lots/Units |
|---|---|
| Kōloa Block | 30 |
| Pua Loke Tract | 71 |
| Puhi Subdivision | 146 |
| Waikomo Subdivisions | 168 |
| Ulu Kukui Subdivision | 31 |
| Ulu Mahi | 131 |
| Komohana Subdivision | 98 |
| Ulu Ko | 182 |
| Puako | 205 |
| Pikake | 179 |
| Subdivision | Number of Lots/Units |
|---|---|
| The Villas at Pu’ali | 104 |
| Puhi Self-Help Housing | 41 |
| Regency at Puakea | 82 |
| Regency at Hule’ia | 83 |
| Hokulei Estates | 209 |
| Halelani Village | 292 |
| Halemalu | 60 |
| Ho’okena | 56 |
| Puakea | 24 |
Wailani Sustainable Community Development
The future Wailani development -- near the airport and the State Judiciary Complex -- will be a mixed-use community with a range of housing choices near schools, retail establishments, restaurants, offices, healthcare, civic centers, recreational activities and other amenities that support and enrich your everyday living. Our goal is to create a true live-work-play development suitable for all generations.
Planning and Collaboration
Planning for a sustainable community involves much more than simply land planning practices. It involves the conscious decision to engage in sustainable practices for energy, water, food, health, species, and historic sites. By having these components, we can move forward towards a happy and healthy community for all.
