02-16-2012, 01:43 AM
Aloha Seeb, I was working on the Land Use Working Group of the PCDP for eighteen months. When we assessed the full scale and scope of the shear number of buildable lots in our Puna subdivisions and the ramifications of all of them someday having a family in each one the question of "lowering the potential build out" did come up.
There is presently no legal way to deny the owner of a legal lot the right to construct a home. Puna has had the highest rate of growth in the state largely due to the fact that our land is the least expensive. So Puna acquires refugees from Oahu, Maui and the mainland.
Perhaps someone with deep pockets (real deep) could buy up lots and land bank them. Doing so for 5,000 lots at say $15,000 ea would take $75 million. Those are deep pockets indeed.
Within the Puna Development Plan it was concluded that we had to plan for the anticipated growth and that a PMAR was needed. We also developed the Village Center model of growth which is underway now. It is very desirable for improvements in business zoning to take place but some of our efforts have been thwarted or delayed by Hilo council members (Yoshimoto in conjunction with Shipman Ltd.).
A lot of these issues will hopefully be on the table in this year's elections and will get thorough discussion.
Other ideas?
James Weatherford has been a proponent of expanded bus service. Buses would reduce traffic to the degree that they meet people's needs and people use them. So buses should be a part of the solutions.
There is presently no legal way to deny the owner of a legal lot the right to construct a home. Puna has had the highest rate of growth in the state largely due to the fact that our land is the least expensive. So Puna acquires refugees from Oahu, Maui and the mainland.
Perhaps someone with deep pockets (real deep) could buy up lots and land bank them. Doing so for 5,000 lots at say $15,000 ea would take $75 million. Those are deep pockets indeed.
Within the Puna Development Plan it was concluded that we had to plan for the anticipated growth and that a PMAR was needed. We also developed the Village Center model of growth which is underway now. It is very desirable for improvements in business zoning to take place but some of our efforts have been thwarted or delayed by Hilo council members (Yoshimoto in conjunction with Shipman Ltd.).
A lot of these issues will hopefully be on the table in this year's elections and will get thorough discussion.
Other ideas?
James Weatherford has been a proponent of expanded bus service. Buses would reduce traffic to the degree that they meet people's needs and people use them. So buses should be a part of the solutions.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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Punaweb moderator