INVESTMENTS

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2022

Investments, All Other Investments [Abstract]

Investment in Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships

On November 27, 2013, Barnwell, through a wholly-owned subsidiary, entered into two limited liability limited partnerships, KD Kona and KKM, and indirectly acquired a 19.6% non-controlling ownership interest in each of KD Kukio Resorts, KD Maniniowali, and KDK for $5,140,000. The Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships own certain real estate and development rights interests in the Kukio, Maniniowali and Kaupulehu portions of Kukio Resort, a private residential community on the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii, as well as Kukio Resort’s real estate sales office operations. KDK holds interests in KD I and KD II. KD I is the developer of Increment I and KD II is the developer of Increment II. Barnwell's ownership interests in the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships is accounted for using the equity method of accounting.

The partnerships derive income from the sale of residential parcels, of which two lots, one being a large lot that is now a consolidation of two previous separate lots and one being an original size lot, remain to be sold at Increment I as of September 30, 2022, as well as from commissions on real estate sales by the real estate sales office and revenues resulting from the sale of private club memberships. Two ocean front parcels approximately two to three acres in size fronting the ocean were developed within Increment II by KD II, of which one was sold in fiscal 2017 and one was sold in fiscal 2016. The remaining acreage within Increment II is not yet under development, and there is no assurance that development of such acreage will in fact occur. No definitive development plans have been made by the developer of Increment II as of the date of this report.

In March 2019, KD II admitted a new development partner, Replay, a party unrelated to Barnwell, in an effort to move forward with development of the remainder of Increment II at Kaupulehu. KDK and Replay hold ownership interests of 55% and 45%, respectively, of KD II and Barnwell has a 10.8% indirect non-controlling ownership interest in KD II through KDK, which is accounted for using the equity method of accounting. Barnwell continues to have an indirect 19.6% non-controlling ownership interest in KD Kukio Resorts, KD Maniniowali, and KD I.

Barnwell has the right to receive distributions from the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships via its non-controlling interests in KD Kona and KKM, based on its respective partnership sharing ratios of 75% and 34.45%, respectively. Additionally, Barnwell was entitled to a preferred return from KKM on any allocated equity in income of the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships in excess of its partnership sharing ratio for cumulative distributions to all of its partners in excess of $45,000,000 from those partnerships. Cumulative distributions from the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships reached the $45,000,000 threshold, and accordingly, Barnwell received a total of $459,000 in preferred return payments in the year ended September 30, 2021. The payments were reflected as an additional equity pickup in the "Equity in income of affiliates" line item on the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended September 30, 2021. Those preferred return payments brought the cumulative preferred return total to $656,000, which was the total amount to which Barnwell was entitled.

During the year ended September 30, 2022, Barnwell received cash distributions of $3,400,000 from the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnership resulting in a net amount of $3,028,000, after distributing $372,000 to non-controlling interests. During the year ended September 30, 2021, Barnwell received net cash distributions in the amount of $6,011,000 from the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships after distributing $683,000 to non-controlling interests. Of the $6,011,000 net cash distribution received from the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships, $459,000 represented a payment of the preferred return from KKM, as discussed above.

Equity in income of affiliates was $3,400,000 for the year ended September 30, 2022, as compared to equity in income of affiliates of $5,793,000 for the year ended September 30, 2021, which includes the $459,000 payment of the preferred return from KKM discussed above.

Summarized financial information for the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships is as follows:


	Year ended September 30,
	2022		2021
Revenue	$	24,577,000	$	43,013,000
Gross profit	$	16,934,000	$	24,759,000
Net earnings	$	13,763,000	$	20,612,000

In the quarter ended June 30, 2021, the Company received cumulative distributions from the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships in excess of our investment balance and in accordance with applicable accounting guidance, the Company suspended its equity method earnings recognition and the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnership investment balance was reduced to zero with the distributions received in excess of our investment balance recorded as equity in income of affiliates because the distributions are not refundable by agreement or by law and the Company is not liable for the obligations of or otherwise committed to provide financial support to the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships. The Company will record future equity method earnings only after our share of the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnership’s cumulative earnings in excess of distributions during the suspended period exceeds our share of the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnership’s income recognized for the excess distributions, and during this suspended period any distributions received will be recorded as equity in income of affiliates. Accordingly, the amount of equity in income of affiliates recognized in the year ended September 30, 2022 was equivalent to the $3,400,000 of distributions received in that period.

Cumulative distributions received from the Kukio Resort Land Development Partnerships in excess of our investment balance was $958,000 at September 30, 2022 and $654,000 at September 30, 2021.

Sale of Interest in Leasehold Land

Kaupulehu Developments has the right to receive payments from KD I and KD II resulting from the sale of lots and/or residential units within Increment I and Increment II by KD I and KD II (see Note 19).

With respect to Increment I, Kaupulehu Developments is entitled to receive payments from KD I based on 10% of the gross receipts from KD I’s sales of single-family residential lots in Increment I. Six single-family lots were sold during the year ended September 30, 2022 and two single-family lots, of the 80 lots developed within Increment I, remained to be sold as of September 30, 2022.

Under the terms of the Increment II agreement with KD II, Kaupulehu Developments is entitled to 15% of the distributions of KD II, the cost of which is to be solely borne by KDK out of its 55% ownership interest in KD II, plus a priority payout of 10% of KDK’s cumulative net profits derived from Increment II sales subsequent to Phase 2A, up to a maximum of $3,000,000 as to the priority payout. Such interests are limited to distributions or net profits interests and Barnwell does not have any partnership interests in KD II or KDK through its interest in Kaupulehu Developments. The arrangement also gives Barnwell rights to three single-family residential lots in Phase 2A of Increment II, and four single-family residential lots in phases subsequent to Phase 2A when such lots are developed by KD II, all at no cost to Barnwell. Barnwell is committed to commence construction of improvements within 90 days of the transfer of the four lots in the phases subsequent to Phase 2A as a condition of the transfer of such lots. Also, in addition to Barnwell’s existing obligations to pay professional fees to certain parties based on percentages of its gross receipts, Kaupulehu Developments is also obligated to pay an amount equal to 0.72% and 0.20% of the cumulative net profits of KD II to KD Development and a pool of various individuals, respectively, all of whom are partners of KKM and are unrelated to Barnwell, in compensation for the agreement of these parties to admit the new development partner for Increment II. Such compensation will be reflected as the obligation becomes probable and the amount of the obligation can be reasonably estimated.

The following table summarizes the Increment I revenues from KD I and the amount of fees directly related to such revenues (see Note 17 “Commitments and Contingencies - Other Matters”):


	Year ended September 30,
	2022		2021
Sale of interest in leasehold land:
Revenues - sale of interest in leasehold land	$	1,295,000	$	1,738,000
Fees - included in general and administrative expenses	(158,000)		(212,000)
Sale of interest in leasehold land, net of fees paid	$	1,137,000	$	1,526,000

In November 2022, one lot within Increment I was sold and Kaupulehu Developments received a percentage of sales payment of $265,000 from the sale, leaving one lot remaining to be sold in Increment I. Financial results from the receipt of this payment will be reflected in Barnwell's first quarter of fiscal 2023 ending December 31, 2022.

There is no assurance with regards to the amounts of future payments from Increment I or Increment II to be received, or that the remaining acreage within Increment II will be developed. No definitive development plans have been made by the developer of Increment II as of the date of this report.

Investment in Leasehold Land Interest – Lot 4C

Kaupulehu Developments holds an interest in an area of approximately 1,000 acres of vacant leasehold land zoned conservation located adjacent to Lot 4A, which currently has no development potential without both a development agreement with the lessor and zoning reclassification. The lease terminates in December 2025.