08-04-2009, 08:09 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Carey
The townhouse from the website is in Keaukaha, newly built & only one unit of the planned development. Interesting looking building, but the finished unit is very near the roadway. This road is the road that goes from HWY 11 to Hilo port and then out to the beach parks of Hilo, so there is a bit of traffic & such. There is a very nice public transit route that was added last year that covers this area.
ETA: Keaukaha does not have sidewalks (these are fairly rare in all but the most downtown of areas on the East Side) but does have walk/bike shoulders on the main street. the side streets are all fairly low traffic, but the ones adjacent to beach parks can be packed with parking, esp. on the best weekends.
Only word of caution on this area is in the event of a tsunami, the evacuation route is through locked gates & through the airport runways.... something to think about. If you want to know why I posted this caution, take a walk through Coconut Island & look for the tsunami coconut palm... it does bring the reality of the area to light.
If you want to be right near all of the beach parks, and an easy bike into the downtown of Hilo, and want to live in a planned multi-unit complex, this is a very nice looking option, but on the higher end for multi-unit complexes in the area. There are some multi-story condo complexes near by, many with rentals available. Renting one of those would probably give you a great idea if this area is for you.
Do not know where you are staying during your visit, but you may want to try out different areas if you are not locked into one place...
It is also good to know that the dynamics of neighborhoods change from weekday -weekend; school in-out, holiday - normal day (and you may be surprised that some of the beach parks change drastically between Memorial day and Labor Day..)
Carey it is as if you read my mind! Thanks for the feedback on this. And I was particularly curious about walking, traffic and sidewalks. I have had some emails from a few people about the property I asked about as well, all essentially confirming what you said. I kind of got the idea from the listings/pictures that perhaps the development was unfinished and might be in trouble. Anyway thank you again for all of the information you have provided on this subject!
-Blake
http://www.theboysgreatescape.blogspot.com/