12-29-2014, 10:28 AM
Having more mixed use designations with reasonable parameters would definitely help solve some of the problems of planning. A certain amount of the way a community unfolds has to happen organically and that is best done with different options being available. I think a reasonable requirement for a piece of land to be designated as ag exclusively is that a substantial amount of soil would be present. If you are fortunate enough to have a piece of land with substantial soil then you should consider it reasonable that it is preserved as agland for future generations but if you own a piece of the rock then this is just an unreasonable obstruction. Until we come to grips with the reality that the lack of planning in the past in Puna has real consequences then the problems will persist. An intervention is in order and if anyone has taken notice, nature has started the process. The subdivisions in Puna as they presently exist are mostly an excuse for the county and state to do nothing. There is a model of community development that worked in these islands but nobody wants to learn from past mistakes that led to that model, they just want to make their own mistakes again.