where's the "development"?

[cindyjohn]

Pahoa is nice

[sandyjohn]

I have seen a lot of activity

[Guest]

quote:

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Originally posted by rainyjim

Not to be negative but it seems pretty obvious the "powers that be" i.e. the elected officials in Hawaii are all about getting you to shop at Wal-mart, Longs, home depot, you name it any big corporate box store that funnels money into the hands of very few. I think the real question is why do we keep electing officials (all over the states not just Hawaii) that support this kind of trash instead of local products and local business. I'm sure any politician you asked would be quick to say they support local business, but in my world words and ideas mean nothing and actions mean everything. It is certainly evident their is very little action to curb the corporate entities and ease the entry of local business into the local economy. Sorry for the poorly formatted post/block of text posting on a mobile device. Hope I didn't derail the thread but I think this is a big part of the development issue. We need to make sure our new development is headed in the right direction and that direction is certainly not the corporate route such as wal-mart or Safeway.

Cheers

rainyjim

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I'm writing rainyjim in, VOTE Rainyjim

[kalakoa]

RJ has it pretty close.

People ask "why can't we have more local independent businesses?"

The answer is at the intersection of "limited inventory of commercially-zoned property" and "County land-use policies".

PCDP seeks to "avoid sprawl" by concentrating development in "designated commercial areas" which just happen to be owned by "established landowners".

A small local business simply cannot get "permission" to operate unless it's either on "commercial-zoned" land or can withstand the process to acquire a "special use permit".

Most of these small businesses simply can't afford the extra cost/overhead involved in leasing "commercial" space or navigating the "special use" process. Some choose to operate "quasi-legally", which means always worrying about getting shut down; others simply "give up". Economic impact in either case.

Getting the zoning change to "commercial" is expensive and time-consuming enough that only an "established" landowner can afford the necessary dollars and political capital, and of course the project has to be large enough to make it "worthwhile".

This isn't saying "Pahoa doesn't need a KTA", just outlining why it will be a KTA (or Safeway) instead of a "local natural food store" or similar "mom-n-pop".

[wax]

There are actually increasing numbers of small local businesses even in established areas. For instance in Keaau you have many small vendors selling a variety of products in the Village Market and in the Keaau Plaza (previously home of Verna's). You can find independent businesses in Pahoa (i.e. the surf shop). It depends on what you are looking for. For instance across the country small retailers of electronic products have largely gone out of business because they cannot compete with Costco, Walmart, Target, Sears, etc. Even Best Buy struggles to compete. As for clothing - there are a few unique boutiques but they have to have unique products to compete

[kalakoa]

More to the point: any and all "small business" is encouraged, provided that it can afford the "Shipman Tax" in addition to any required County/State permits/inspections.

A sufficiently small business simply can't justify the additional expense of leasing additional property in which to operate, nor can that small business owner likely afford the time to commute back and forth to the "legal" premises.

Most subdivisions are zoned Agricultural, which means that a home-based small business is technically required to get a Special Use Permit (on its fully-up-to-code and finaled building, of course), which is an expensive and time-consuming process in which County will point to the PCDP as justification for denial.

Then we all wonder why the local economy isn't "more robust"...

[CoreyTaber]

This thread makes me really second guess owning a business in Puna. Just like so many people here, I'm faced with the proposition of commuting to Hilo and working for someone else, or opening my own business in growing Puna, and dodging the commute altogether. I'd much rather open a small salon in Pahoa or Keaau, than work in Hilo and "live" in Puna, but I don't have unlimited time and resources to make it happen either. Surely people here realize growth can be beneficial to a more self contained (ish) Puna.

[kalakoa]

quote:

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This thread makes me really second guess owning a business in Puna.

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Puna business can still be viable, it just takes more careful planning -- specifically, avoid any scenario which requires "special" permits by setting up in a location which is already "commercial".

Yes, this means more expensive property (or higher rent), but the fight for rezoning (or "Special Use" or "Home Occupation") will usually break the budget.

I decided not to bother, which is mildly unfortunate for the community (tax revenue, if nothing else).

[Rob Tucker]

Kalakoa,

Hilo has something like 1,100 acres of commercial zoning. The Puna District has less than 50. Both Hilo and Puna have approximately the same populations. This is one of the reasons we have said that the County's plan for Puna consists of three words: "Drive to Hilo".

[kalakoa]

quote:

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Hilo has something like 1,100 acres of commercial zoning. The Puna District has less than 50.

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Exactly: I can't afford the overhead of driving to Hilo to run a business, especially given the congested highway and lack of alternate access. (Complaining on forums is far more profitable anyway, as it entitles me to generous public benefits and tax exemptions.)

Soon (well, by 2017 or so) that "less than 50" acres of Puna commercial will be +9, which is like a 20% increase. Of course it'll all be class-A space, but maybe another business will upgrade and leave behind something affordable ... which won't really help, since I can't afford the commute to Pahoa either.

Related: they've also made sure to shut down all the "illegal" farmers' markets that existed in the various subdivisions ... no worries, just another trip to town, right? What a great "plan"!