Deal with Oprah
would help preserve
land on Maui

Oprah Winfrey is buying more land on Maui.

Hana Ranch Partners said it is selling 63 acres at Mokae near Hamoa Beach to the billionaire TV talk show host, who already owns 102 acres on the Valley Island.

The purchase price wasn't disclosed, but will become public record when the deal closes.

The agreement also includes preserving another 192 acres from development in a joint project with Hana Ranch, Winfrey and the Maui Coastal Land Trust. The conservation project will be in the neighboring Haneoo and Hamoa districts.

In a letter to Hana residents, company Chief Operating Officer Dan Omer and Chief Executive William Newsom said the arrangement would be "one of the most important private conservation efforts to occur on Maui."

If the deal goes through and Winfrey builds a home at Mokae, she is expected to drop her plans to build on a 102-acre Lehoula property she bought in 2002 with her close friend Bob Greene.

Hana resident Carl Lindquist said he was thrilled about the deal, which limits development at Mokae to a single residence and ends Winfrey's plan to build at Lehoula, where her home would have been visible from the road.

"I think it's great for Hana. We should all go out and celebrate," Lindquist said.

Hana Ranch Partners will hold a community meeting next month to discuss the agreement and other issues relating to the ranch.

Gideon Kaufman, Winfrey's legal counsel, told the Maui News on Friday that the ranch had initiated the deal, approaching Winfrey because she had "similar ideas and similar values" for conservation of the area.