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I'm not complaining. I got my 2 slices. Just an Observation.
Didn't Shipman own most of this hill at one time?
Well, they retained the best part and in the process made the coolest little beach for miles their own. Or at least made it hard as hell to access.
Just my 2 cents. KW out
One Thing I can always be sure of is that things will never go as expected.
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"but the fact remains they made it possible for you to be here today"
Everything that happened before us made it possible for us to be here today.
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From the history I've read and the stories from the WWII vets I've talked with. The personal account stories flooded the states shortly after WWII of the beautiful exotic Hawaiian islands. People of those time had a different vision of what would happen in Hawaii. A decade later it isn't really surprising a major land development went in. Speculation was high on what might happen here. The lot shapes were also part of that speculation, as I said previously, those elongated lot shapes formed many of the current single family lots we see across the nation today. Was it cheaper to cut a narrow lot and save a couple roads cuts, yes but how practical is this theory when applied in a real development situation? Would going 3 acres square lend to what a single family lot was back in those days? Take three acres square for example 361.87' an oddball number, then punch a 40' right of way down the middle. That leaves an oddball 160.935 foot deep lot on each side of the new right of way and now divide the remaining length of 361.87 by 50' and you get an oddball 7.2374 of subdivided parcels with really oddball dimensions if stretched out to 7. When you're land developing in unrestricted circumstances you try to foresee future evolution of the area and try to keep things as uniformly simple for your surveyors as is possible. Housing development is whole different thing altogether and not like land development.
So continue with that comparative and now try to form a rectangle that jives with whole number re-subdivisions of your larger land development. Then make your result fit into the said tract repeated and see what happens. The end result when divided up by the development engineer is a product that reduces road cut costs and lends to a conducive re-subdivision for the future all fitting into the original tract. It's that simple, there is no collusion or attempt to save big bucks, it was a matter of practicality for then and the future as they envisioned it.
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Kimo,
Sorry I wasn't directing a focus on you per se. It's just the larger over all mentality of people these days to shake their fists at those who came here before us. We all moved here willingly and the things we face are very similar to what many of the people faced back in the days of living on the old "stump farms". Crappy roads, power, water and sewer issues, etc. We're here pioneering in land developments, not housing developments. We have many comforts not afforded to those who did it long before us (those even back in the states 60+ years ago). We have solar power, cellular phones etc. I'm sorry but I really find it disturbing to see people question the integrity of those who shaped our today from yesterday without climbing into their minds back then.
LOL and yes the Shipmans have set themselves up well. I'm sure you've seen the subdivision they created along the coast just south of their home? Not sold or offered yet but hanging under a conservancy designation... well played on their behalf.
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It would seem that you never talked with some of those who participated in the subdivisions.... like Helene Hale. Helene was quite upfront that Puna was designed as way to separate mainlander's from their money with no expectation that many would mover here and the county would have the benefit of tax revenues without having to provide services. A scheme that has worked pretty much as planned for fifty years.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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Rob,
I understand that aspect also but it's not unique to Hawaii. Services aren't typically provided in land developments until the demand reaches a tipping point. Taxation scheme revenues for unused land parcels goes all the way back to the days of our nations founding and long before.
The product still remain just as genuine as those found anywhere else though.
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Who cares if it is not unique to Hawaii?
In land subdivision infrastructure is provided as required by codes. Here and elsewhere. The Hawaii County codes in 1959 required roads to county standards. The county and the developers ignored the codes.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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I'd have to read the exact language of Hawaii "code" at that time to see what it says. I know that many places around the US in that time frame still allowed land development without paving requirements, Housing developments were another issue.
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So in late 1959 is when Hawaii became a state. What was the code prior to that, the code that existed at the time the subdivision was initially approved? Annexing/State adoption is inclusive of such previous agreements.
Are the Territory of Hawaii subdivision laws available to read?
Most of these dirt road subdivisions would be under those regulation standards I'd assume.
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It is all in the county codes. It is all on record. If you haven't done your homework you're just flapping your lips.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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