W.H. Shipman Ltd. broke ground Sept. 4 on an expansion of Shipman Business Park.
Peggy Farias, W.H. Shipman president, said in an email approximately 10 acres will be added to the 160-acre park on the northern outskirts of Keaau.
“There are currently 131 lots in the business park, ranging in size from 1/2 acre to several acres. The expansion will add eight lots at approximately 1/2 acre each,” said Farias.
“Creating new lots at the Shipman Business Park is part of our commitment to continue expanding opportunities and accelerating job growth in Keaau,” she said.
The business park currently is at 100% occupancy, Farias said, and estimated that about 10% of the lots purchased from Shipman remain undeveloped.
The new lots will be available in June 2025.
According to Farias, the only infrastructure improvement with the expansion will be the addition of water laterals —which are pipes that provide water from the water main in the street to the occupant of the lot — and drainage mitigation.
“No additional road construction is needed as all of the new lots will be directly off of Kipimana Street,” she said. “Our aim with the business park remains to serve the needs of the Puna and South Hilo communities by providing space for businesses to grow, create jobs, and add to our local economy.
“These lots are one small step as we build momentum to bring additional housing opportunities, jobs, and services to Keaau as we strive to build a community that our next generations will be proud to be part of.”
Shipman, a family-owned company that owns 16,800 acres of land in Puna, started development of the business park in 1988, six years after the closure of Puna Sugar, one of Shipman’s major tenants.
“Since that time, the Shipman Business Park has become an employment hub serving over 100 businesses and between 900 and 1200 employees,” said Farias, who added further expansion of the park is a strong possibility.
”With an additional 140 acres of zoned industrial land, the business park can continue to grow with the community well into the future,” she said.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.