“Growing Pains”

[HiloJulie]

Here we go again!!

https://www.civilbeat.org/2023/07/big-is...o-step-up/

Think they will get another road??

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Attempting to nail down a date from the county was like “trying to nail Jell-O to a tree,” Alos said in an interview.

Oh no, now the county workers are distracted thinking about their afternoon snack break.  Hmmm… lime or imitation strawberry?

[kalakoa]

the sun-drenched village of roughly 7,400 residents

Waikoloa getting another road creates an interesting precedent: Puna is older and has a larger population, so should already have its alternate route.

(My town is much smaller than Waikoloa, but we still have no less than two routes to the nearest Walmart, so it is technically possible...)

[terracore]

How many times has parts of Waikoloa been evacuated? In lower Puna it seems to happen annually. If they are going to spend road funds fixing the only communities with only one road out, they should be focusing on the area with the highest need.

[kalakoa]

they should be focusing on the area with the highest need

County's argument seems to be that disaster-prone areas are a waste of investment capital, so new subdivisions need to be created in more appropriate areas, and these subdivisions must have roads, water, sewer so as not to "repeat the mistakes of the past".

Nevermind that there's no suitable land available.

Nevermind that people won't be able to afford lots in a "full service" subdivision.

Instead, County has made an industry out of managing the Federal bailouts from each new disaster.

Too bad there's nothing left for "the people" after paying the consultants, redirecting disaster relief to the golf course, etc.

[Chas]

As I commented on the Civil Beat article, when development happens on the mainland, the increase in traffic/people is accounted for and the DEVELOPER bears the cost of the infrastructure. Unbelievable how HI lets developers get away with this.

[Olohana 1790]

the difference is the Puna land is parallel to coast and owned by a hapa Hawaiian family that's owned it for 150 yrs now... and if you put a road through their land there, that will just open up many miles of agriculture land with stuff getting stolen.and it would go to the 2nd largest city in state.

those rubbish ash fields over there at Waikoloa just north of the 1859 Mauna Loa flows is prob gov owned land... and their road would probably be mauka to makai, and its would go to more rubbish ash fields, not a large city....

[randomq]

Oh no, the oligarchs of Hawaii Island would be inconvenienced by living in the same reality as the rest of us? Next we'll start taxing their land at the same rate as commoners! Outrageous!

[kalakoa]

and it would go to the 2nd largest city in state.

Only if the State sees fit to allow any other entities to incorporate. Otherwise it would be more of a vast shantytown with small suburban inholdings... oh, wait.

[kalakoa]

Mostly just fascinated with what people are willing to tolerate, and curious about what the future deal-breakers will be. The next decade should be interesting. Over and out.