Village Centers

[Rob Tucker]

Are Village Centers the way to go? What are they? What should they contain? Where should they be? How to make them a reality?

Feel free to launch any Village Center topis you like

[ulbobo]

There were designated comercial areas in our location here in Hawaiian Beaches. When Hacker sold out and left, he gave the county another Park which was abandonded for years. We have now got it dedicated as Kahakai Park, and it is quite beautiful, including benches and a good place to watch whales when they go by. I think that we should get the county to condem some of the areas that were originally set up to provide commercial space within our sub-division so that we can walk to a "Mom and Pop" store to get milk snacks or even locally grown vegatables. Everyone who has to go all the way to Hilo to buy Kapoho fruit and veggies would love to have an area where we could just walk up the road a way and by them here. That is what I see as part of the Village Center concept.

Mahalo,
KD

[psquassoni]

My understanding of village centers, though I haven't seen an actual CDP definition, is that they would be clusters of buildings containing small retail, professional, and wellness services.

Like what small towns used to be like before we invented malls and mini-malls!



Edited by - psquassoni on 10/19/2006 10:18:40

[Dwight]

Village Centers should be areas that are naturally and historically oriented toward commerce. One good example is Kaimu (near where Kaimu Beach used to be.) Currently Verna's Drive-in and Uncle Robert's Kava Bar, and the end of the road where people set up stands to sell produce, crafts, etc. It is a destination for tourism (people walk the new lava out to the new Kaimu Beach). The area is zoned Urban in the State plan so the State Zoining is in place. There is a small convenience store behind Verna's. Several Vacation rental homes in the area. Many of the lots were zoned for duplex or multi-family dwellings. It is the intersection of Hwy 130 and 137. Logical area for a Village Center and worth serious consideration and exploration.