DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Andy Cervantes cuddled his cat yesterday in his garden in Poamoho Camp, where he has been living for more than 20 years.

Developer to buy
Poamoho Camp

The deal could finally
mean homeownership
for the camp residents

Peter Savio: He says he plans to eventually sell the property back to the residents

Developer Peter Savio has agreed to purchase the Poamoho Camp plantation village and neighboring pineapple lands for $2.6 million in a deal that brings the camp's residents a step closer to owning their longtime homes just months after they were facing eviction.

The purchase involves 90 acres of George Galbraith Trust land, including the 34-acre village and its 63 homes. Savio said yesterday the transaction should close in December.

Savio plans to eventually sell all the property back to the camp's 300 residents for the same price. He said yesterday they could buy their homes for as little as $25,000 apiece if the additional ag lands are sold off.

"We're not making much money off of this," said Savio, whose Hawaiian Island Homes Ltd. is charging a 5 percent fee on the purchase price. "But to help people own their homes at an affordable rate is worth it."

Savio first announced his intention to buy the land in June, sparking joy among the camp's residents. They had faced eviction after the land's longtime lessee, pineapple grower Del Monte Fresh Produce Hawaii, had said in January it would not extend its lease and would need to raze the village.

DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM Lynn Tyrell carved designs on gourds yesterday in her workshop at her home in Poamoho Camp. Camp residents said they want to retain the area's rural lifestyle.

Savio said it's possible that the city may require expensive upgrades to the roads, water and electrical services at the rustic camp as part of any effort to subdivide the parcels. That could raise the overall cost of the homes significantly in the eyes of its residents, he said.

"The idea was not to create a modern subdivision," he said. "These are not wealthy people. They can't afford to have a lot of upgrades made."

Savio said he and Poamoho's community leaders will wait to see the shape of the new city administration that emerges from next month's elections before the parties make further moves.

Vaeleti Tyrell, president of the Poamoho Community Association, said many of the camp's residents are elderly retirees on fixed incomes who would have trouble obtaining a mortgage on the homes, even at the low prices cited by Savio. Tyrell said it was imperative that no additional costs be incurred.

"We're only thinking about being able to buy our homes. If you improve the roads and things, the price will be way too high for many of us," Tyrell said.

Another detail yet to be worked out is how residents actually will acquire their homes. Tyrell said many residents are leaning toward pooling their resources so they could all own the homes collectively.

"There are just too many of us who cannot do it on their own and the only way we can do it is together," he said.

Tracy Takano, a representative of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, which represents Del Monte workers and is helping residents on the property issue, said that buying the land as a cooperative would be the "best way," avoiding the cost and complications of trying to subdivide the land, which is zoned for ag use.

Takano said other options residents will need to consider include whether to lease out the adjoining 56 acres or sell it to reduce the cost of the homes, or possibly setting up a profit-oriented agricultural cooperative.

"Before, our primary concern was just stopping the bulldozers, but now some planning has to happen and we've got a lot of work to do," he said.