08-05-2008, 03:15 PM
Warning: Long post ahead! [
]
I've been wanting to say something on this topic for awhile, and the Red Road topic and the Moving to Puna topics inspired me ... but I felt like this is a discussion in its own right.
I read a lot of comments here about demanding services for Puna subdivisions, demanding equal treatment, and using the political process to do so.
I think it would help those of you who have not read "Land and Power in Hawai'i" by George Cooper and Gavan Daws, copyright 1985 to do so. There's a preview of the book here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=8128CdCEJNcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=land+and+power+in+hawaii&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA46,M1
Puna is covered in Chapter 8: Hawai'i: Subdividing Lava Fields (not in the preview)
The whole book should be read but at least this chapter.
While I do believe things can be changed and are changing, history needs to be understood.
Some of the strange facts you will learn from this book:
The Puna subdivisions were created as LAND SPECULATION, pure and simple.
Many of the investors who benefitted financially from their approval and sale were elected and appointed government officials who were able to approve their own projects or at least the projects of associates.
The "hui" system was abused such that many hui's were not publicly recorded. If you don't know what a 'hui" is, you should read about it. This makes it more difficult to track all the back room dealing that went on -- but enough of the process was public record -- and presented in this carefully researched book -- to amaze even the cynical of heart.
It was never imagined that people would settle these subdivisions in any substantial way.
It was never envisioned they would have full services provided unless they were privately contracted .... which wasn't really considered likely.
California did not even allow some of the subdivision offerings to be advertised, placing them in much the same league as selling swampland in Florida (a scam of about the same time period).
The County of Hawai'i made it very clear to the developers that the County NEVER wanted to be in the situation of needing to provide standard roads, utilities, police and fire service, and so forth.
In order to get approval, developers came up with the idea that the investors and eventual landowners of these subdivisions would have to pay if they wanted good roads, utilities, and the kind of services people had in Hilo or Kona.
The volcanic hazard was completely ignored, such that a developer proposing a Kapoho subdivision pitched it as a place to get up close and personal with the awesome forces of nature -- only 9 years after Pele had covered the village of Kapoho. (That one was not approved.) The Royal Gardens brochure touted its proximity to the awesome National Park but never mentioned volcanic hazard.
Quite a few of the investors also worked with civil defense, oddly enough.
Essentially, these subdivisions were not created to be communities or neighborhoods. They were a way to get rich selling land that had been officially deemed "nonproductive" useless land, not any good for agriculture or for tourism.
At some point around the end of the 60's, the Land Use Commission got some members with enough guts to say no to any more subdividing of ag land unless the developers were responsible for infrastructure. But thousands and thousands of lots/TMK's had been created and sold, remaining mostly vacant.
Something very unexpected happened on these lots in the 1970's. People began living on them and growing lots and lots of pakalolo, until it accounted for something like 80% of the local economy. The potgrowers did not want people moving to Puna, imagine that, and are believed to be behind the death threats sent to some who tried to promote Puna as a place to live.
So, fast forward forty odd years from when this land speculation was legally approved, and people have moved to these subdivisions, are building nice houses, raising families, starting neighborhood watches, and asking why they pay taxes but are treated like the poor stepsister.
Well, read the history and it becomes clear ... there are quotes in the book of public statements by the County that it would be disastrous if these subdivisions were ever settled, as the resources to support that were non-existent and they had no intention of starting a "college fund" (that is my term, not a quote) for little Puna when it came of age. What they never wanted to imagine, happened.
If you're looking at land on the MLS from your home in some other part of the USA, you probably use your own area as a yardstick for how things are done in "America." You may not understand that there were deals and agreements made that put the burden of having real services back on the landowners.
It is probably hard to fathom that this land that you call Paradise, where you dream of farming and becoming self-sufficient, was considered JUNK by the developers, the investors, the Land Use Commission, and maybe even the original small buyers who just wanted to own a piece of the 'aina or make money buying and selling land.
At the time, I don't think people understood that when lava land is ripped and cindered it can become extremely fertile. These guys were selling barren lava flows as places to have gardens, but they didn't seem to believe it would actually work. Read the brochures for Royal Gardens -- the place was being sold as practically beachfront -- a place to lead the lifestyle of paradise, when there was literally nothing there, nothing growing on it, no beach within several miles, no utilities, no services, no shopping nearby, nada!
I hope I don't need to say that I do see the beauty of Puna. I'm simply saying that it was subdivided and sold by those who did not appreciate it so didn't think it mattered how badly it was set up in terms of roads and other infrastructure. And this shady behavior was committed by and/or approved by our government officials for financial reasons, self-interest.
Anyhow, if you are one of the people who keeps saying things SHOULD be different, this book is a must read. (Gavan Daws also wrote "Shoals of Time.") Once you understand how the subdivisions came into being and why, you will see there are unique challenges in getting the powers that be in this county and state to treat Puna equally.
I hope it happens, but to come at it with a spirit of indignation that there aren't enough police, for example, is to reveal that you didn't do your homework when you bought in. That was the deal in the 60's, you get to subdivide all this land but it will be a case of Caveat emptor all the way ... just hope you can sell yours to someone who hasn't ever been here ... like so much interstate land speculation.
The people who bought into and moved to Puna in the 70's understood the terms ... like settling the Wild West. You wonder why there's a resistance to change ...
You wonder why people tell you to get fences, dogs, and guns. Go rent some old western movies (or read some westerns). Remember the families trying to hold their own in small compounds and acreages, homesteaders, fending off ruffians and marauders ... they left "society" as they knew it and went west. Puna is still not the 'burbs, and a lot of residents don't want it to go that direction. They chose the frontier life and accepted having to look out for themselves.
Just in the last few years it seems like a lot of people expect Puna to be Utopia, or should I say Arcadia. Instead of frontier, they envision escaping urban hassles and leading the pastoral life. (Read "As You Like It." [
] )
I feel like: Enjoy it. Contribute. Believe in it. Change the political status quo. But do so with an understanding of why it is what it is ... read the history. Learn how political business has traditionally been conducted in this state.
I also have to say that if you buy a lot for $20,000 knowing the same amount of dirt in Kona would cost you $300,000, or $200,000 in Hilo, you should be prepared to find out that there's a reason for the pricing. It's not just the volcanic hazard, although that's certainly something to be aware of.[:0]
Hope I'm not bumming people out. Hope this inspires a few to read the book and those who have read it to add their insights -- and correct me if I have it wrong. The material is complex and I know that doing a summary of "things that struck me" also leaves out a ton of important information and risks coming off with over-simplification.
[]
]I've been wanting to say something on this topic for awhile, and the Red Road topic and the Moving to Puna topics inspired me ... but I felt like this is a discussion in its own right.
I read a lot of comments here about demanding services for Puna subdivisions, demanding equal treatment, and using the political process to do so.
I think it would help those of you who have not read "Land and Power in Hawai'i" by George Cooper and Gavan Daws, copyright 1985 to do so. There's a preview of the book here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=8128CdCEJNcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=land+and+power+in+hawaii&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PPA46,M1
Puna is covered in Chapter 8: Hawai'i: Subdividing Lava Fields (not in the preview)
The whole book should be read but at least this chapter.
While I do believe things can be changed and are changing, history needs to be understood.
Some of the strange facts you will learn from this book:
The Puna subdivisions were created as LAND SPECULATION, pure and simple.
Many of the investors who benefitted financially from their approval and sale were elected and appointed government officials who were able to approve their own projects or at least the projects of associates.
The "hui" system was abused such that many hui's were not publicly recorded. If you don't know what a 'hui" is, you should read about it. This makes it more difficult to track all the back room dealing that went on -- but enough of the process was public record -- and presented in this carefully researched book -- to amaze even the cynical of heart.
It was never imagined that people would settle these subdivisions in any substantial way.
It was never envisioned they would have full services provided unless they were privately contracted .... which wasn't really considered likely.
California did not even allow some of the subdivision offerings to be advertised, placing them in much the same league as selling swampland in Florida (a scam of about the same time period).
The County of Hawai'i made it very clear to the developers that the County NEVER wanted to be in the situation of needing to provide standard roads, utilities, police and fire service, and so forth.
In order to get approval, developers came up with the idea that the investors and eventual landowners of these subdivisions would have to pay if they wanted good roads, utilities, and the kind of services people had in Hilo or Kona.
The volcanic hazard was completely ignored, such that a developer proposing a Kapoho subdivision pitched it as a place to get up close and personal with the awesome forces of nature -- only 9 years after Pele had covered the village of Kapoho. (That one was not approved.) The Royal Gardens brochure touted its proximity to the awesome National Park but never mentioned volcanic hazard.
Quite a few of the investors also worked with civil defense, oddly enough.
Essentially, these subdivisions were not created to be communities or neighborhoods. They were a way to get rich selling land that had been officially deemed "nonproductive" useless land, not any good for agriculture or for tourism.
At some point around the end of the 60's, the Land Use Commission got some members with enough guts to say no to any more subdividing of ag land unless the developers were responsible for infrastructure. But thousands and thousands of lots/TMK's had been created and sold, remaining mostly vacant.
Something very unexpected happened on these lots in the 1970's. People began living on them and growing lots and lots of pakalolo, until it accounted for something like 80% of the local economy. The potgrowers did not want people moving to Puna, imagine that, and are believed to be behind the death threats sent to some who tried to promote Puna as a place to live.
So, fast forward forty odd years from when this land speculation was legally approved, and people have moved to these subdivisions, are building nice houses, raising families, starting neighborhood watches, and asking why they pay taxes but are treated like the poor stepsister.
Well, read the history and it becomes clear ... there are quotes in the book of public statements by the County that it would be disastrous if these subdivisions were ever settled, as the resources to support that were non-existent and they had no intention of starting a "college fund" (that is my term, not a quote) for little Puna when it came of age. What they never wanted to imagine, happened.
If you're looking at land on the MLS from your home in some other part of the USA, you probably use your own area as a yardstick for how things are done in "America." You may not understand that there were deals and agreements made that put the burden of having real services back on the landowners.
It is probably hard to fathom that this land that you call Paradise, where you dream of farming and becoming self-sufficient, was considered JUNK by the developers, the investors, the Land Use Commission, and maybe even the original small buyers who just wanted to own a piece of the 'aina or make money buying and selling land.
At the time, I don't think people understood that when lava land is ripped and cindered it can become extremely fertile. These guys were selling barren lava flows as places to have gardens, but they didn't seem to believe it would actually work. Read the brochures for Royal Gardens -- the place was being sold as practically beachfront -- a place to lead the lifestyle of paradise, when there was literally nothing there, nothing growing on it, no beach within several miles, no utilities, no services, no shopping nearby, nada!
I hope I don't need to say that I do see the beauty of Puna. I'm simply saying that it was subdivided and sold by those who did not appreciate it so didn't think it mattered how badly it was set up in terms of roads and other infrastructure. And this shady behavior was committed by and/or approved by our government officials for financial reasons, self-interest.
Anyhow, if you are one of the people who keeps saying things SHOULD be different, this book is a must read. (Gavan Daws also wrote "Shoals of Time.") Once you understand how the subdivisions came into being and why, you will see there are unique challenges in getting the powers that be in this county and state to treat Puna equally.
I hope it happens, but to come at it with a spirit of indignation that there aren't enough police, for example, is to reveal that you didn't do your homework when you bought in. That was the deal in the 60's, you get to subdivide all this land but it will be a case of Caveat emptor all the way ... just hope you can sell yours to someone who hasn't ever been here ... like so much interstate land speculation.
The people who bought into and moved to Puna in the 70's understood the terms ... like settling the Wild West. You wonder why there's a resistance to change ...
You wonder why people tell you to get fences, dogs, and guns. Go rent some old western movies (or read some westerns). Remember the families trying to hold their own in small compounds and acreages, homesteaders, fending off ruffians and marauders ... they left "society" as they knew it and went west. Puna is still not the 'burbs, and a lot of residents don't want it to go that direction. They chose the frontier life and accepted having to look out for themselves.
Just in the last few years it seems like a lot of people expect Puna to be Utopia, or should I say Arcadia. Instead of frontier, they envision escaping urban hassles and leading the pastoral life. (Read "As You Like It." [
] )I feel like: Enjoy it. Contribute. Believe in it. Change the political status quo. But do so with an understanding of why it is what it is ... read the history. Learn how political business has traditionally been conducted in this state.
I also have to say that if you buy a lot for $20,000 knowing the same amount of dirt in Kona would cost you $300,000, or $200,000 in Hilo, you should be prepared to find out that there's a reason for the pricing. It's not just the volcanic hazard, although that's certainly something to be aware of.[:0]
Hope I'm not bumming people out. Hope this inspires a few to read the book and those who have read it to add their insights -- and correct me if I have it wrong. The material is complex and I know that doing a summary of "things that struck me" also leaves out a ton of important information and risks coming off with over-simplification.
[
]