12-02-2023, 07:49 PM
I would guess that one contributing factor to the higher costs in the Puna Kai market is insurance. The 2018 flow stopped only yards away from the old Malama Market. Companies have pretty much stopped insuring anything in Lava Zone 2. (State legislators, mostly from Kauai and Oahu, are holding back building a new library because of eruption concerns.) I've only been in the new market once so haven't seen it myself, but I've read here on Punaweb that there is a small nook inside to have a beer or glass of wine, which would also incur even more liability coverage.