Former chop-shop transforms into farm
HONOLULU (KHON2) — An area once a haven for criminal activity is being transformed in Wahiawa. The land, just off Kamehameha Highway near Whitmore Village, was overgrown for years.
It was a hub for crime–several acres of it was an illegal chop shop littered with hundreds of abandoned cars. There were brush fires and squatters living there.
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The last straw came in 2020 after 30-year-old Malia Soma-Valmoja was shot and killed there.
Shortly after her murder, dozens of law enforcement officials swept the area, and the state's Agribusiness Development Corp., tasked with managing the land, ramped up efforts to regain control of it.
'I think we've made amazing progress in the last five years,' ADC Executive Director Wendy Gady said.
According to Gady, they were determined to revitalize it, but it wasn't easy. Clearing it was a process.'We took it very seriously,' she said. 'All of the vehicles are gone. The people are gone and we're in active production.'
Mark Takemoto from the ADC explained that the ground zero was once a mass dumping ground, filled with hundreds of cars.
'We want to make sure that this place is farmed,' Takemoto said. 'And we have a tenant. And now that the Department of Health has cleared the way, we hope to have this place actively farmed.'
Small pink and orange flags mark spots where the environmental contractor took soil samples for testing.
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The ADC needed to ensure the soil wasn't contaminated before giving the green light, while other portions of the land are already in production with several different crops.
Gady said the future looks bright, and they are eager to be creating more food security.
'We're in the process of building a food hub out in Wahiawa,' she explained. 'The DAGS organization is working with us and putting in a lot of infrastructure to, basically honor of the community and the community's history. This is very rich in AG and to revitalize AG.'
The ADC is taking action to prevent illegal activity and squatters from moving back in.
'We have security that is hired in roving around, but we also have very active property managers that are out there,' Gady said.
They are able to deal with trespassers quickly and she said having workers actively farming the land regularly is one of the best deterrents.
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