KAILUA — A hillside property once proposed for a senior retirement community at the entrance to Kailua Town will be preserved as open space in perpetuity thanks to a public-private acquisition effort that fulfills a 26-year dream.

The property on Puçu o Ehu Ridge serves as a backdrop to Hamakua Marsh, a natural habitat for native Hawaiian birds.
The state announced the funding for the land acquisition earlier this month, but the 87 acres comprising the ridge and Hamakua Marsh have been a preservation goal in the community for nearly three decades, involving 17 private and public partners and hundreds of people, including children.
Money to purchase the land from the Castle Family Limited Partners — more than $1 million — comes from three sources: the state Legacy Land Conservation Program, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Recovery Land Acquisition Program and private funds.
“It seems like a miracle that we’re actually going to get it and have the whole thing protected,” said David Smith, who first proposed the land for preservation in 1983 when he worked for the Nature Conservancy.
Preserving the hillside is part of a promise that Käneçohe Ranch, the manager for the Castle family lands, made to the community in 2003-2004 during a community-based planning process, said Mitch D’Olier, CEO and president of Käneçohe Ranch.
The state will purchase the land for $1.2 million, but it is worth a lot more as developed property, D’Olier said.
“The (Castle) family is being good to the community and we’re carrying out our word in connection to the plan,” he said.
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