03-02-2010, 05:33 AM
As a supporter for the Puna CDP and an advocate for zoning reform in Puna, I have been watching this debate with great interest. I have to say that there has been a lot of thoughtful, civil discussion on both sides, along with a bit of huffy personal stuff.
One thing that has finally gelled in the opinion section of my mind is this: Despite the obvious and undeniable good that SPACE has done for the community, somebody was either asleep at the wheel or being worse than disingenuous when they kept adding activities and/or structures outside the limits of the SUP that the County granted way back when. Now if I were the guys at the County, I would be thinking, "We gave these folks a break, and now they've gone about five steps over the line. Why should we give them another?" The answer to that "why" for a lot of SPACE's supporters would be because they do the greater community a lot of good. For others, it's not that simple.
This should be very interesting as it plays out. Whatever the outcome, this whole mess should be used as an object lesson in how zoning and land use in Puna need serious reform. What we have now is not working.
One thing that has finally gelled in the opinion section of my mind is this: Despite the obvious and undeniable good that SPACE has done for the community, somebody was either asleep at the wheel or being worse than disingenuous when they kept adding activities and/or structures outside the limits of the SUP that the County granted way back when. Now if I were the guys at the County, I would be thinking, "We gave these folks a break, and now they've gone about five steps over the line. Why should we give them another?" The answer to that "why" for a lot of SPACE's supporters would be because they do the greater community a lot of good. For others, it's not that simple.
This should be very interesting as it plays out. Whatever the outcome, this whole mess should be used as an object lesson in how zoning and land use in Puna need serious reform. What we have now is not working.