Created during the plantation era that swept across Hawaii in the late 1800s, Kahuku is a former sugar mill plantation town nestled on Oahu’s North Shore. A symbol of that plantation era lives in the independently owned plantation homes of Kahuku Village V, known by many simply as “the Village”, that still line the highway. Several of the remaining descendants of the original plantation era labor force still call the Village home.

During that plantation era, James Campbell purchased the land in Kahuku and instigated dry land water source development.  Then, in 1890, he encouraged the entry of a sugar plantation, the Kahuku Sugar Mill, into the community. To meet the intense labor needs necessary for operation, workers were brought in from Asia and elsewhere and housed on the plantation property. This is how the town of Kahuku Village began and was populated. The Village became the product of the laborers’ collective work ethic, and the community grew to be steadfast and tight.

In 1971, the Kahuku Sugar Mill closed. Although the plantation ceased operation, the Campbell Estate had a stake in keeping the community vital and providing Kahuku’s people with a future. The Estate worked with the community to bring replacement businesses to the area, and helped the farmers and laborers transition from large to small scale farming. The Estate also decided they could buffer the negative impact of the plantation closure on the community by allowing residents to stay in the community for nominal rent.

Eventually, when Campbell Estate decided to sell the land they owned in Kahuku, they sought a buyer who would work for the benefit of the Village residents. Over the years, there were attempts by various organizations to try to overcome the infrastructure deficiencies and to create affordable housing opportunities for the Village residents, but none prevailed.

Until Continental Pacific came along. In 2006, Continental Pacific, LLC purchased the Village from the Campbell Estate. From the beginning, Continental Pacific expressed a willingness to provide fee-simple ownership to the Village residents while at the same time working to address community concerns.

Continental Pacific’s main goal has been, and continues to be, providing home ownership while simultaneously maintaining the character and integrity of the existing Village lifestyle. As a gesture of goodwill towards the traditional Village community, Continental Pacific offered existing residents, many of which are descendants of the plantation-era labor force, the opportunity to purchase the home they had been renting at well below market value. Some residents purchased, while others have chosen to continue renting at a below market rate. In addition, many island transplants that love and appreciate the rural North Shore lifestyle now call the Village home. This unique mix of locals and transplants helps to ensure Continental Pacific’s main goal of revitalizing this community while maintaining the character and charm of the Village.

Continental Pacific has completed the first Condominium Property Regime (CPR) on the largest of the three neighborhoods that make up the Village. This neighborhood is known as New Camp, the original name established by the plantation workers for the neighborhood. Two other neighborhoods, Highway Makai and Ocean View, will be going online in the near future joining New Camp within the Village. Highway Makai is slated to be established as a CPR and Ocean View as a CPR/Cluster Subdivision. The 122 acre Golf Course lot was recently sold to the City and County of Honolulu to preserve this beachfront gem.

Continental Pacific’s balance between maintaining the aesthetic character of the plantation-style housing and enhancing the health, environmental impact, and safety features of the Village is a driving force at the core of its community development. To that end, Continental Pacific has installed new roadway improvements and new water lines for fire protection, replaced existing cesspools with septic tanks and made stormwater run-off remediation and related drainage improvements. New homes are equipped with solar electric panels for water heaters and a newly-installed country style fence surrounds the entire Village. An entry gate and signage are in the process of being installed, enhancing security while keeping with the rural character that makes the Village so unique. All of these features create a perfect combination of the older style with modern health, safety, and energy-efficient enhancements.