BIL 194 Draft 01 2008-2010 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PUNA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN PROPOSED AMENDMENTS leading commercial activities. By 1850, agriculture diversified with the cultivation of potatoes, onions, pumpkins, oranges, and molasses.2 Soon, sugarcane was in large-scale production. The dominant operation in Puna was the Puna Sugar Company, whose plantation fields extended for ten miles along both sides of Highway 11 between Kea`au and Mountain View, as well as in the Pahoa and Kapoho areas.3 Macadamia nuts and papaya were introduced in 1881 and 1919 respectively. Since the closure of the Puna Sugar Company in 1991, papaya and macadamia nut production have become the leading cash crops of Puna. About 97% of the state's papaya production occurs in Puna, primarily in the Kapoho area. The closure of sugar production in Puna potentially opened a large amount of agriculture land to a more diversified industry, although much of the former plantation land lies unused and covered predominantly by non-native trees, shrubs and grasses. A variety of growing conditions supports diversified agriculture in Puna. Presently, Puna produces at least 40 different agricultural products including cut flowers, fruits, vegetables, and livestock. While the district is generally a wet, warm climate, drier conditions at lowland areas such as Kapoho are ideal for cultivating papaya, whereas wetter, cooler conditions in the Volcano area are suitable for growing crops that cannot thrive in many other areas of Hawaii. Even the wettest of areas have produced well under greenhouse cover. Also, due to volcanic activity, the age of the soils varies considerably throughout Puna, with corresponding variations in inherent natural fertility and tendency to resist weeds. The recent pattern of residential development and population growth in Puna is the result of widespread land subdivision within the past half century. Between 1958 and 1973, more than 52,500 subdivision lots were created. Since that time, nearly 2,500 of these lots have been covered by lava flows or have been rendered unbuildable by shoreline subsidence, reflecting the risks of building on a landscape subject to volcanic and seismic hazards. Moreover, most subdivision lots are accessed by private, unpaved roads. The streets generally lack sidewalks and lighting, and do not meet current County standards in terms of pavement width, vertical geometries, drainage and other design parameters. None of the subdivisions have central sewer systems and only a couple have private water systems. Most lots rely on individual catchment systems supplemented with private delivery trucks for potable water. Large sections of some subdivisions are off the power grid. Despite the natural hazards and rudimentary infrastructure and services in these subdivisions, build-out of the lots has been occurring, with the northeast quadrant of Puna and in the vicinity of Volcano experiencing the highest rates of population growth. Puna is experiencing the fastest rate of growth of all the districts in the County of Hawaii. The Census population count in 2000 for Puna was 31,335. In March 2007 the estimated population was 43,071, an increase of over 37% in less than 7 years. By 2030, the population is projected to grow to approximately 75,000. Since only about one-quarter of the available lots have been developed at present, it is clear that these extensive subdivisions present formidable challenges to 2 Hawaii 's Agricultural Gateway website, littp://www,hawaiia~,y.org/history.htm 3 [#awaii] Hawaii Sugar Planters' Association, Plantation Archives, http://www2.hawaii.edu/--speccoll/p puna.html 1-3