spaghetti lot

[Rocky]

Hello all!
Can anybody tell me why on the big island they sell there land as spaghetti acres and not regular wide acres?

rocky

[lquade]

was much cheaper for the developers. you get many more lots for the same distance of roadway. do it cheap and get out was their motto and a few extra bucks to convince someone in the county to pass the subdivision....

[Punaperson]

The following is one perspective about one subdivision. I live in Orchidland, and know more about its history than the many other subdivisions in Puna. These observations and history do not apply anywhere else.

Orchidland was created in 1959 by a group of local residents. The lawyer for the development was George Ariyoshi, who later went on to become Governor of the state.

Having said that, I was brought to Orchidland on a field trip with one of my UH College of Ag classes, back in the 1970's . As it was explained to me then, the lots on the roads perpendicular to the highway were square, because that's where people were going to live. The spaghetti lots ( 125' x 1045' ) in between the main roads were set up in the most efficient configuration for orchard farming. It is a very efficient lay out for the 'peninsula' design common at the time: one road down the middle, with cross roads every 2 rows of orchard planting to make harvesting easy and accessible. The potential crops we were told were were bananas, macadamias, papaya, and large landscaping material. We were taught about water catchment, gravity irrigation because of the sloping nature of the terrain, and the other myriad of details that would make it feasible to make a living on the basis of affordable agricultural land.

And then came the first residential building boom. Those of us who were beyond surprised that some one would buy a 125' x 1045' to live on, rather than farm, were amazed. And then out-numbered.


Edit: too many beers

[kalakoa]

Interesting to note that not all subdivisions are "pure spaghetti".

Orchidland in particular has square-ish lots around the intersections, as if leaving room for a corner store.

HPP has several 20-acre lots spaced equally throughout, as if leaving room for a corner stripmall.

Nanavale is "high-density" but includes some acreage lots scattered throughout ... as if leaving room for small-kine commercial.

Anyway. Best perspective is Land and Power in Hawaii, chapter 8.

[Hapahaole]

. Hawaiian acres is the only subdivsion incorporated in 1958 before statehood .orchidland wasn't incorporated or laid out until
1976 . . Like FA and Hpp , Ainaloa they copied word for word HA master plan and history doesn't make it true

hapahaole

[DaVinci]

quote:

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Originally posted by Hapahaole

. Hawaiian acres is the only subdivsion incorporated in 1958 before statehood .orchidland wasn't incorporated or laid out until
1976 . . Like FA and Hpp , Ainaloa they copied word for word HA master plan and history doesn't make it true

hapahaole

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That’s not true. I’ve read the incorporation documents at Planning and it happens in 1959, just as Punaperson asserts,