Hi, any suggestion on Hawaii paradise park (Hilo, Keaau: for sale, salons)

[Ovation88]

Which area is better in Hawaii paradise park ?
If buy a land to build a house would be a good idea ?
Thank you for all your helpful opinions !

[Arktikos]

I'd look first at homes currently for sale.

Many times you'll do better money wise to buy an existing home, and then you don't have to go through the hassle of finding a contractor, getting permits, etc. and waiting for the home to be completed.

Since this subdivision is near the ocean, my preference would be ocean front. Of course, there are relatively few of these, and they're more expensive.

[Ovation88]

Thank you ,but if too close to the ocean ,the wave and hurricane would be a big concern for that .

[SoloPilot]

Originally Posted by Ovation88

Thank you ,but if too close to the ocean ,the wave and hurricane would be a big concern for that .

It's an ISLAND. The land mass is not big enough to have any major effect on the waves and hurricanes.

[Arktikos]

Originally Posted by Ovation88

Thank you ,but if too close to the ocean ,the wave and hurricane would be a big concern for that .

A hurricane has yet to make land fall on the Big Island in recorded history. Nevertheless, a potential hurricane could devastate any location on the east side. Being hundreds of meters from the coast in Paradise Park would make no difference whatsoever in the damage suffered.

The enclosed image shows what the coastline looks like at Paradise Park.
As you can see storm surges would be of little concern because, in stead of a beach, the oceanfront is a big lava cliff.

In any case, maybe oceanfront isn't for you.

I suggest you do some "homework", including a look at online images of the area and homes for sale there.

I would not choose a place at the top of the subdivision, as it would have more local traffic and also be subject to highway noise from the Keaau-Pahoa highway.

[hotzcatz]

As BC mentioned, perhaps an already built house might be something to consider.

Some things to look at in HPP are how easy it is to access, albizia trees, CCRs and already existing neighbors.

HPP is for some reason zoned Agricultural so you can have animals and such, however, there's no other land uses within the area so it's all the same type of land use zone. Since an acre isn't really enough to be a farm or grow enough to actually live on, that huge expanse of agriculturally zoned land becomes basically a residential neighborhood and most of the folks go outside the area for work. Agricultural zoning doesn't allow things like shopping, entertainment places, laundromats, etc., so everyone has to leave their neighborhoods for that, too. And there's very limited roads in and out of the area, especially the entire area so all of Puna is funneled through the Keaau-Pahoa highway. I'm sure it has a number too. So, check how easy it is to get in and out of the property since you'll have to do that for almost everything. If you're used to an urban environment with a deli on one corner and a restaurant on the other along with a few little shops here and there, that won't be the same in HPP.

Albizia trees are these huge lacy savanna looking trees that grow like crazy and are all over the place. They are shallow rooted (which they'd have to be since there's very little actual soil in HPP) and they fall over and drop branches. They are a hazard and not something you want on the property. If you didn't know and just looked at the property, you'd see huge trees and think 'oh great, there must be deep soil and things grow well'. Nope, the albizia are growing in leaf litter on top of lava rock and are just waiting to drop big limbs and fall over in the next windstorm.

I'm not sure what HPP's CCRs (codes, covenants & regulations) are, but they have them. So, get a copy and see what restrictions come along with living in HPP. The roads are all private roads and there's a road fee to be paid each year to the HPP community association, I'm pretty sure it's a mandatory fee. Not sure what other rules they have but many of the Puna subdivisions have community associations with additional rules and fees. Leilani has some requirements on what you MUST built, a garage or carport, I think. Nanawale has a minimum size requirement of the house you can build, etc. etc.

Then when buying a lot check for existing neighbors. If you buy with vacant land on either side, then no telling who may end up there, if there's already neighbors then you'll have an idea of who's there. When the neighbors are already there, you can site your house for privacy and such.

There was Hurricane Iselle a year or so ago, which was a pretty big tropical storm by the time it reached Puna. There were albizia trees down all over the place and the power was out for awhile in Puna.

[mikereilly]

Blind Cleric has sound advice as does hotzcatz. When we looked at places in HPP we vetoed any with huge Albizia due to the fact that some of them have branches that could take out two houses on adjacent lots. They can be HUGE and as with any fast growing huge tree, they are brittle as demonstrated during Iselle. They can grow 15 feet in a year. If you have small Albizia on your lot, take them out before they get big and keep on it.

Existing homes can be bought for a lot less than building new. If you are handy, buying one that's got solid bones and is a bit run down can be a great way to save a lot of your hard earned money and my wife and I have done very well doing this over the decades. Watch out for termites, they are rampant at those elevations. Many here call wood framed homes 'termite food', although with good design and proper prevention and care you can do ok. If there are lots of tiny piles of very fine sawdust, that's a sign of termites.

If you can, talk to neighbours to find out what it's like. Good trustworthy neighbours are worth more than anything else.

[Ovation88]

Thank you for everyone

[terracore]

"Agricultural zoning doesn't allow things like shopping, entertainment places, laundromats, etc., so everyone has to leave their neighborhoods for that, too"

While almost all the land in Puna is zoned AG, including HPP, that doesn't mean you can't have a business in Puna. Puna is full of businesses, including dozens in HPP. The best auto mechanic shop, veterinarian, plumbing services, and water catchment business on the island are located in HPP, among many other legal businesses. It's just a matter of pushing the paperwork through the bureaucracy. It's not true you have to drive to Hilo for everything. In addition to all the businesses in HPP there is a convenience store, groceries, hardware store, restaurant, deli, gas station, etc located just across the highway from HPP in Orchidland (also zoned AG). About 5 miles away from HPP is Keaau on one side and Pahoa on the other. Each with shopping centers, drug stores, restaurants, fast food, salons, medical clinics, etc. HPP is hardly isolated from stores and services. The AG status does put a monkey wrench into commercial development, it does not forbid it. The limiting factors are economics, politics, and the NIMBY crowd (not in my back yard).