05-11-2012, 01:13 AM
The running joke during the Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP) (and it wasn't that funny actually) was that the previous plan for Puna
consisted of three words: Drive To Hilo.
At this moment Puna has a population approximately equal to Hilo. Hilo has over 1,000 acres of commercial zoning (2,000 might be closer) and Puna has approx. 32 acres of commercial zoning.
You can see where the "drive to Hilo" theory came from.
The residents of Puna have been forced to be very creative in trying to define agricultural uses.... and for quite awhile they were left rather unmolested in doing so. But the lack of coherent zoning is stifling business in Puna. Stifling business means stifling jobs, goods and services. Stifling business contributes to poverty.
It is my opinion that the Special Use Permit (SUP) method preferred by our Planning Department is a remnant of the old Plantation System where favors were granted by those in power to those they favored and with held from those they chose.
Mayor Kenoi's single attribute and purpose as mayor seems to be to maintain the status quo and he and his Director of Planning, Bobbie Jean Leithead-Todd, have shown by their actions that keeping things they way they have been in Puna is a priority.
So as I have pointed out before... the wealthy, corporate violators of planning codes and permits are waived forward and their tracks are greased. The underfunded grassroots efforts are faced with costly obstacles sufficient to bankrupt them.
Puna needs to stand up and demand a new attitude from it's county government and this November is the time to do it.
So my answer to DanielP's question is: The behavior of our CoH "planners" is the bigger issue.
I am in favor of community planning which would be clear and concise enough to allow any investor to understand the path and costs to create a business or other use and calculate their chances of success with some degree of accuracy and be free from people with competing interests attacking them.
consisted of three words: Drive To Hilo.
At this moment Puna has a population approximately equal to Hilo. Hilo has over 1,000 acres of commercial zoning (2,000 might be closer) and Puna has approx. 32 acres of commercial zoning.
You can see where the "drive to Hilo" theory came from.
The residents of Puna have been forced to be very creative in trying to define agricultural uses.... and for quite awhile they were left rather unmolested in doing so. But the lack of coherent zoning is stifling business in Puna. Stifling business means stifling jobs, goods and services. Stifling business contributes to poverty.
It is my opinion that the Special Use Permit (SUP) method preferred by our Planning Department is a remnant of the old Plantation System where favors were granted by those in power to those they favored and with held from those they chose.
Mayor Kenoi's single attribute and purpose as mayor seems to be to maintain the status quo and he and his Director of Planning, Bobbie Jean Leithead-Todd, have shown by their actions that keeping things they way they have been in Puna is a priority.
So as I have pointed out before... the wealthy, corporate violators of planning codes and permits are waived forward and their tracks are greased. The underfunded grassroots efforts are faced with costly obstacles sufficient to bankrupt them.
Puna needs to stand up and demand a new attitude from it's county government and this November is the time to do it.
So my answer to DanielP's question is: The behavior of our CoH "planners" is the bigger issue.
I am in favor of community planning which would be clear and concise enough to allow any investor to understand the path and costs to create a business or other use and calculate their chances of success with some degree of accuracy and be free from people with competing interests attacking them.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
Punaweb moderator