Hawai‘i County is set to acquire Honolulu Landing, a 364-acre coastal property in Puna, for $3.7 million. The purchase is in escrow and expected to close by March, county officials told ASD.
The Hawai‘i County Council unanimously approved the acquisition on Sept. 17 through Resolution No. 286-25, authorizing the Department of Finance to use funds from the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund. The measure also received support from Mayor Kimo Alameda.
The resolution calls for culturally informed stewardship of the land and collaboration with lineal descendants, cultural practitioners, scientists and conservation groups to protect its historical and environmental significance.
Eileen O‘Hara, who represented District 4 on the council from 2016 to 2018 and now serves as executive director of Mālama o Puna, called the acquisition a major win for the community.
“This ahupua‘a is an incredible asset for the people of Hawai‘i,” O‘Hara told ASD. “It preserves cultural and botanical features in perpetuity and offers some of the most awe-inspiring ocean vistas in Puna, where people have fished, gathered and recreated for generations.”
O‘Hara said the county requested a mini environmental assessment from the current owners, a streamlined review that identifies potential environmental impacts, key risks and compliance requirements without the extensive scope of a full Environmental Impact Statement. She credited lineal descendants and community advocates for pushing the purchase forward. Hundreds attended the County Council meeting where the resolution was discussed, and more than 1,000 people signed an online petition in support. After escrow closes, an archaeological study is expected to document historic village sites along the Puna coastline.
County officials confirmed the $3.7 million price. Tom Callis, spokesman for Alameda, told ASD the county is “hoping to close by March.”
Brent Wenner of KW Commercial (Keller Williams Big Island), based in Kona, who listed the property for $3.89 million last year, told ASD the sale remains in escrow due to deed issues but is moving toward closing. The property’s current owners live in North Carolina and have been in ongoing discussions with the county.
Nestled between Waiakahi‘ula and the Nānāwale Forest Reserve, Honolulu Landing stretches along 4,000 feet of untouched coastline. The vacant land is a living record of Puna’s past, with burial sites, village complexes, heiau, house platforms and traditional agricultural terraces first documented by the Bishop Museum in 1932. These features reflect centuries of human activity and make the property eligible for the Hawai‘i Register of Historic Places.
The property also provides critical habitat for endangered species, including the Hawaiian hawk (‘io), Hawaiian hoary bat (‘ōpe‘ape‘a) and Hawaiian owl (pueo), along with native plants such as hala, kukui, and hau, and freshwater springs.
Historically, Honolulu Landing served as a hub for interisland commerce. From the early 1900s through the 1940s, cattle were driven across the 1840 lava flow to the shoreline, where they were lifted onto vessels using onboard gear. Mike Hansen, president of the Hawai‘i Shippers’ Council, told ASD the vessels were self-propelled passenger-cargo steamships operated by Interisland Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. and Wilder Steamship Co. Ltd. Interisland acquired Wilder in 1905 and remained the sole interisland ocean carrier until Young Brothers Ltd. launched its barge service.
County officials and community advocates have also highlighted the acquisition as a step toward restoring public shoreline access in Puna, which became increasingly limited after the 2018 Lower East Rift Zone eruption of Kīlauea cut off many traditional makai access routes.
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