Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

[Miulang]

Hali'imaile to become the next redeveloped area?

A&B and ML&P (Steve Case's company) are in the process of gathering community input about how to develop the area around Hali'imaile which currently is not being used for any agricultural purpose (used to be covered with pineapple). Right now about all that is left of Hali'imaile town is the Hali'imaile General Store, owned by Bev Gannon which serves great food but in which most locals wouldn't be able to afford dining. The agricultural coop that was right next door closed down a couple of years ago.

While I'm glad the developers are working to get feedback from the residents about what the new town should look like, I wonder what the EIS says about all the toxic chemicals that have leached into the ground from the time when the land was covered with pineapple and spraying of crops was a regular occurrence? I also think A&B and ML&P should increase the number of affordable units and reduce the number of "at market rate" housing. Maui doesn't need any more pricey housing being sold to out of state buyers.

Miulang

[timkona]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

If houses are sold at "below market", does the new owner have to sell at a loss when the time comes to sell in the future. Fair is fair. Or do the affordable folks get to keep all that profit?

[Miulang]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

I think profit taking by locals could be mitigated by putting the following covenants on the "affordable" units (besides the obvious income requirements): 1) the dwelling is the primary domicile of the owner and 2) owners must keep the houses in their name for at least 5 years to keep people from flipping the properties quickly to make excess profits. The town association can keep a wait list of potential prequalified buyers if someone who currently owns one of the affordable units needs to sell within the first 5 years (I'm sure the waiting list will be a long one, just like it is for subsidized housing).

No one knows what housing prices are going to look like in the future, and the whole point of affordable housing is to allow people who work in industries that cater to the rich folk to be able to get a slice of the pie, too.

Miulang

[timkona]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

Whatever it takes to disrupt the natural process of supply & demand would be fine. Afterall, I been workin my butt off for nearly 27 years, and I deserve something for nothing. Hard work, and thriftyness is so overrated. If you can't get something for nothing, then what's the point. Darwin was wrong. Social Darwinism must be stopped. The strong must be torn down. The weak must be elevated to positions of power. Come on you people. We must unite behind the movement to level the playing field. If EVERYBODY stops working hard, it would be much easier on society.

glurg

[Miulang]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

"Affordable housing" is NOT subsidized housing. The people who qualify for affordable housing are just as hardworking as you, Tim, maybe even harder working than you because many of them have to work TWO jobs to earn half of what you do. If it wasn't for those people earning $12/hour, Hawai'i wouldn't be the tourist destination it is today, and you probably wouldn't be doing what you're doing today.

Miulang

[timkona]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

"Affordable housing" is NOT subsidized housing.

You really believe that, don't you? The best way to figure out the truth is to build some homes yourself, and then sell them at "affordable prices". Without vertical living environments, affordablility in Hawaii is a pipe dream.

[Miulang]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

"Affordable housing" is NOT subsidized housing.

You really believe that, don't you? The best way to figure out the truth is to build some homes yourself, and then sell them at "affordable prices". Without vertical living environments, affordablility in Hawaii is a pipe dream.

Yes, I do. And how do you know that that "affordable housing" ISN'T going to be the kind of vertical living you love so much but only half the time live in? Even working 2 jobs, many of the locals can't afford the "market rate" of those vertical living environments, because "market rate" is way above what it costs to build those things. Money IS being made by developers. Otherwise, why would they continue building?

Miulang

[timkona]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

It's called "Supply & Demand". When there are enough dwellings, the price of a dwelling will stabilize.

In Hawaii, THE POLITICS OF NO virtually guarantees that the housing shortage will continue.

As a sidenote, I would like to relay a short, but tragic story. There are developers and there are speculators. Real estate speculators love "anti-growth" environments. They seek out, and find, markets within the US where "anti-growthers" have won the battle. Hawaii Island is one of those places. As a fly on the wall, at a social gathering about 2 years ago, I heard one speculator brag about the fact that he was contributing money to a certain group on Big Island that has made a big stink of protesting growth. He said that the donations to that group were like insurance to his investments. He realizes that if enough dwellings are built, his real estate investments will not appreciate as quickly. His profit driven cynicism reminded me of Michael Moore. I walked away quietly from that dialogue, shaking my head and wondering why the antigrowth crowd doesn't get it.

The difference between developers and speculators is that developers love pro growth environments, and speculators love anti growth environments. The irony is that the protesters, by their actions, exclude only themselves.

Speculators have discovered that the Politics of NO is the best insurance.

[Miulang]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

What Maui County is planning to do to encourage developers to create more affordable housing units.

Miulang

[timkona]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

If Speculators get wind of that plan, there will be no end in sight to rising housing costs.

Who thinks that the best way to get more dwellings is to punish developers with smaller profits? Pretty soon the development opportunities elsewhere will seem more desireable than the opportunity's in Hawaii. And then you REALLY gonna see price escalate.

To solve the crisis, equilibrium must be reached in the "dwelling" market. Affordable units should be described as condos & apartments in vertical environments with mixed uses on the first 2 floors & a variety of finishes above(studios, 1 br, 2 br, penthouses at the top) to a height of about 8 or 9 stories to start with. Subdivision style, Single Family Residences, is NOT the way to solve the "dwelling" crisis. We must first preserve the land by choosing NOT to build single level living environments that sprawl across Maui.

[Miulang]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

As many locals have heard, there have been several shark "attacks" in the Kihei area in the past several months. The immediate outcry from the public is to kill any and all sharks. Kahu Charles Maxwell offers some words of wisdom and advice from the kanaka maoli viewpoint to anyone who wants to venture into the waters off any beach in Hawai'i.

Miulang

[oggboy]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

If only us human`s could look at the picture more clearly. Whose domain are we entering! Alot of shark attacks are because of mistaken identity. It`s a chance we take when we enter the ocean. In this day and age the population, and tourist industry has grown. We have all kinds of activities going on in the ocean. It`s just a matter of time when sharks become aggressive in their domain.
OGGBOY

[Miulang]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

What Maui County is planning to do to encourage developers to create more affordable housing units.

Miulang

Here is the "vision" the Florida-based planners of the ML&P proposed Hali'imaile Village could look like. It'll be interesting to see what the final plans look like and whether or not all the housing will be "affordable".

Miulang

[Miulang]

Re: Maui becoming the "Mainland" Island?

In a refreshing departure from the cries for more development, more big business, more people, more tourists, sits the sleepy little farming community of Kipahulu on the East Maui coast. What they are doing there...coming together as a group of people who want to be stewards of the land and malama 'aina, is going to help preserve a part of Hawai'i that soon will disappear from almost everywhere else in the State.

Miulang