Lohaki Makai Subdivision (Kailua: real estate, apartment complexes, homes)

[X529]

Hi Folk's,

Can anyone tell me about the Lohaki Makai Subdivision ? I will be returning to the BI in a few weeks to look for a home and I found their web site while browsing around the real estate boards. In general, we want to be near Kailua-Kona and in a master planned type community if at all possible. Looking at it on google maps it appears to be a very nice, well maintained community although I see it is very close to the airport so this does give me some concern the potential for noise. Any information would be helpful.

Thanks !

[mdand3boys]

Originally Posted by X529

Hi Folk's,

Can anyone tell me about the Lohaki Makai Subdivision ? I will be returning to the BI in a few weeks to look for a home and I found their web site while browsing around the real estate boards. In general, we want to be near Kailua-Kona and in a master planned type community if at all possible. Looking at it on google maps it appears to be a very nice, well maintained community although I see it is very close to the airport so this does give me some concern the potential for noise. Any information would be helpful.

Thanks !

That general area just had a 1000+ acre wildfire - although no homes were in danger.

I wouldn't worry about the airport since not only is the subdivision about 2.5 miles away from the runway, the traffic patterns do not go over the area at all. I doubt that you could even hear anything from the airport.

[OpenD]

One thing to know about that area is that it is in the desert... literally, not figuratively... so it's hot and dry, and the native look is rough lava. Anyplace you see green in that area, it is being artificially watered, and that is on somebody's water bill, so a lot of places only have a little pad of lawn near the house, like a putting green, while others settle for straight lava. Take a little spin around Maheu Circle and up to the "park" and you can see the effect, very dramatically. Obviously that works for some people, doesn't for others.

Another thing to know is that at the end of Kakahiaka Street are a couple of large apartment complexes, so there's more traffic up and down Kakahiaka Street than you might expect. The one on the east side is Lokahi Apartments, which is low-moderate housing for about 300 people. Again, that works for some people, doesn't for others.

[X529]

Folk's, thanks so much. This is very helpful to know.

[Ford Beebe]

Originally Posted by OpenD

One thing to know about that area is that it is in the desert... literally, not figuratively... so it's hot and dry, and the native look is rough lava. Anyplace you see green in that area, it is being artificially watered, and that is on somebody's water bill, so a lot of places only have a little pad of lawn near the house, like a putting green, while others settle for straight lava. Take a little spin around Maheu Circle and up to the "park" and you can see the effect, very dramatically. Obviously that works for some people, doesn't for others.

Another thing to know is that at the end of Kakahiaka Street are a couple of large apartment complexes, so there's more traffic up and down Kakahiaka Street than you might expect. The one on the east side is Lokahi Apartments, which is low-moderate housing for about 300 people. Again, that works for some people, doesn't for others.

We've had this discussion before, and the fact that it has rained nearly every day in some part of Kona the last three months has everything to do with the current lush green that is Kona.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Ford Beebe

We've had this discussion before, and the fact that it has rained nearly every day in some part of Kona the last three months has everything to do with the current lush green that is Kona.

Yes, we've had this conversation before. The recent rain doesn't change the fact that Kailua-Kona is officially classified as being in an arrid desert climate zone, and that Lokahi Makai is even dryer than in-town areas are, and much of it looks like a moonscape most of the time unless it is artificially watered.

A World of Climate Zones on the Big Island | Hawaii Life

[Joliefille]

I wouldn't describe it as a masterplanned community. The current builder bought the lots from the original developer who went Bk, but there are no community amenities such as a pool or park or sidewalks or gated entry that one might expect in a "planned" community. The homes are nice and smidge above a starter home but only by Hawaii standards.

[X529]

Thank's for all your replies. I'd like to ask if there is a similar subdivision with newer homes near Kailua - Kona that anyone can think of that might be worth a look ? I can live without amenities like a pool, gated entry, etc. We did look at Pualani Estates but our RE friend is telling us the price is too much. We would like to be in the $400 - 450K range and not interested in building new from the ground up. I would prefer to be South of the airport near the box stores say within a 15 mile radius.
ALso, we do not want to be on water catchment. Thank's for your help !

[Ford Beebe]

Originally Posted by OpenD

Yes, we've had this conversation before. The recent rain doesn't change the fact that Kailua-Kona is officially classified as being in an arrid desert climate zone, and that Lokahi Makai is even dryer than in-town areas are, and much of it looks like a moonscape most of the time unless it is artificially watered.

A World of Climate Zones on the Big Island | Hawaii Life

I get 60 inches of rain a year iln Kona. That is neither arid nor a desert climate zone.

Most everyone here knows of your anti-Kona side bias. Those who do not, now do.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Ford Beebe

I get 60 inches of rain a year iln Kona. That is neither arid nor a desert climate zone.

Most everyone here knows of your anti-Kona side bias. Those who do not, now do.

Sorry, but you are dead wrong on both counts. I have zero anti-Kona bias, but I do have a strong bias in favor of verifiable facts over unsupported opinion.

I have helped several friends move to Kona, I've advised others here on C-D on how best to get settled in Kona, including making several fact-finding phone calls to Lokahi Apartments on poster's behalf. And I enjoy the heck out of myself whenever I visit there. I like Kona just fine. No problems here.

As far as what I've posted about how dry Kailua-Kona and the area around the airport is, you don't have to look any further than the Wikipedia entry for Kailua-Kona for confirmation:

Kona has a tropical, semi-arid climate

(Köppen BSh) with warm temperatures year-round. The coolest month is February, with a daily average temperature of 74.6 °F (23.7 °C), while the warmest is August, with a daily average of 81.0 °F (27.2 °C). Humidity is generally between 50% and 70%.[citation needed] Kona is generally dry, with an average annual precipitation of 18.4 inches (467 mm).

18.4 inches average... that's less than a third of the 60 inches you report, so I'm guessing you are not in Kailua-Kona. Either that, or possibly you are related to Joe Btfsplk.

I will admit (mea culpa, mea culpa!) that I mistakenly referred to Kailua-Kona as being in the arid-desert zone, which actually starts about 20 miles north, but it is correctly categorized in the semi-arid zone.

And that dry semi-arid zone extends along the beach for about 15 miles south of Kailua-Kona. Other parts of the North and South Kona districts have different weather patterns than Kailua-Kona does, including higher rainfalls in many places. And if you look at the climate-zone map I posted previously, which was created by weather and climate scientists from historical records, you can see the way microclimates change throughout North and South Kona. That confuses some people.