People who have grown accustomed to Grove Farm’s stewardship of a sizable portion of Kaua’i may be happy that the company’s proposed sale of about 20,000 acres didn’t go through. But they should prepare for the day when somebody else
People who have grown accustomed to Grove Farm’s stewardship of a sizable
portion of Kaua’i may be happy that the company’s proposed sale of about 20,000
acres didn’t go through. But they should prepare for the day when somebody else
holds the keys to the holdings that are an integral part of the island.
A
deal with an unidentified but serious buyer apparently went away with the
breaking off last weekend of negotiations. The talks involved land that
stretches from Kauai’s interior to the coastline at Maha’ulepu. Grove Farm also
owns Puakea Golf Course and Kukui Grove Center. Economically and
environmentally, that’s a big chunk of the island.
Grove Farm is still
interested in selling. It appears inevitable that the company, whose
shareholders are mostly descendants of legendary Kaua’i pioneer George Wilcox,
will one day fade into the background. That link to the past will be missed by
many Kauaians. And new ownership of the sizable holdings will come under close
scrutiny of island residents who have admired Grove Farm’s treatment of the
land.
