County of Maui acquires Kula community center land for public use

After decades of leasing, the County of Maui has acquired approximately 7 acres of land beneath the Kula community center and adjacent facilities for public use in perpetuity. 

The $950,000 sale closed on Sept. 6, 2024, on the Von Tempsky Community Center Complex, formerly the Kula Community Center. The area was renamed the Von Tempsky Community Complex after a bill was passed by Maui County Council in 2022 to honor the generational Upcountry family.

The 7.043-acre parcel, situated off Lower Kula Road, was sold to the County by the Von Tempsky family. Since 2006, the County has attempted to acquire the property so its facilities would not be subject to leasehold terms. The complex holds tennis courts, picnic areas and a community center, which is regularly used for community gatherings, classes and milestone events.

“The County of Maui today acquired a property that has long served as the heart of our community facilities in Kula,” Mayor Richard Bissen said. “With the support of the Von Tempsky family, the Maui County Council, and Council Budget Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura, we can ensure that this well-loved area will continue to serve the community for generations to come.”

Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura proposed funding for the acquisition and has for years advocated that the land could be owned by the County.

“Our Kula and greater Upcountry communities have relied on these facilities for generations and have long championed the County’s acquisition of the property,” Sugimura said. “I want to express my gratitude to our community for steadfastly supporting this priority, and extend my thanks to Mayor Bissen and the Von Tempsky ‘ohana for helping make this vision a reality.”

The land has been leased by the County since the early 1950s. Widespread community support for the land acquisition has been expressed over decades. Additionally, Von Tempsky family members have backed the County’s commitment to preserving the land for public use indefinitely.

“The family is so happy to be able to make this acquisition possible,” Kimball Von Tempsky, the eldest family member in his generation and managing partner for the landowner, Von Tempsky Partnership, said in an earlier news release. “We are proud that the County of Maui has chosen to name the facility the Von Tempsky Community Center Complex in Kula.”