05-01-2008, 12:11 PM
Well, the history of HPP and the County of Hawaii is complex and goes back over 40 years. The County DID legally allow the subdivision to be created and happily collected enhanced tax revenues from it compared to what they would have collected if it had been left as it was. A lot of the politicians at the time literally did not believe that any significant number of people would ever live in it, so why worry about providing services? The lots were marketed mostly to people on the mainland under the slogan, "You can afford to own a piece of Paradise." The novelty was supposed to wear off and nobody would move in.
But lo and behold, people did indeed choose to live here. HPP and surrounding "substandard" subdivisions became the fastest growing area in the entire state. The chickens are coming home to roost, and while the County can still justify not accepting the roads into their domain, they are having a much harder time denying their obligation to provide public safety and some other niceties of civilization.
I don't expect the County to pave my road or bring me piped-in water. I would be happy just to have effective law enforcement, shopping venues, service businesses, parks, and legally authorized school locations so we wouldn't have to get on a dangerous highway and go to Hilo any time we need anything. All of these things have even been provided locations within the HPP on a number of 20-acre pieces of land, but the County can't seem to bring itself to rezone them. The Puna Community Development Plan addresses all this quite handily, so the next step is to get the Plan adopted into law and then see what happens next.
Support the Puna CDP! It's important and not just for HPP.
Cheers,
Jerry
But lo and behold, people did indeed choose to live here. HPP and surrounding "substandard" subdivisions became the fastest growing area in the entire state. The chickens are coming home to roost, and while the County can still justify not accepting the roads into their domain, they are having a much harder time denying their obligation to provide public safety and some other niceties of civilization.
I don't expect the County to pave my road or bring me piped-in water. I would be happy just to have effective law enforcement, shopping venues, service businesses, parks, and legally authorized school locations so we wouldn't have to get on a dangerous highway and go to Hilo any time we need anything. All of these things have even been provided locations within the HPP on a number of 20-acre pieces of land, but the County can't seem to bring itself to rezone them. The Puna Community Development Plan addresses all this quite handily, so the next step is to get the Plan adopted into law and then see what happens next.
Support the Puna CDP! It's important and not just for HPP.
Cheers,
Jerry