If your mind is set on
visiting the Kohala Coast after reading about our
Hawaii vacation Summer Special 2012, today's guest post by our good friend Bill N. Jardine, from Big Island Buyers' Brokers
will be more than intriguing to you.
Bill has been living and working as a realtor on the Kohala Coast on the Big Island for many decades and has frequently shared his valuable knowledge about the Hawaii real estate market. Hawaii's housing market, prospects and developments of the future are of interest to all of us. Today Bill looks at the huge potential the Waikoloa plains area (see Bill's photo) has for further big changes on the Kohala Coast. So what is next on the Kohala Coast?
Will the Waikoloa plain area be the next big housing growth development on the Kohala Coast?"The advent of February in Waimea means that the winter is half over and we should be seeing some Kona rains moving up the parched slopes of the vast Waikoloa plain that stretches from the Kawaihae Road on the north to the lovely Hualalai Ranch many miles to the south. This great sweep of pasture lands, pictured above, lies stretched over the surface of the greatest collection of fresh water in the Hawaiian archipelago. For hundreds of thousands of years the freshest water on earth has wended its way deep into the geological labyrinth created by successive layers of hard and soft lavas as the astonishing bulk of Mauna Kea grew like a geological onion until well above the clouds!
Mauna Kea may be the most spectacular volcanic structure known to man. The dry pasture lands of Waikoloa actually are the open door to Hawaii’s future. This vast open area with spectacular weather and drop-dead sunsets was designated over 50 years ago by the Governor Burns Administration as the only place where Hawaii can grow freely and well without the constrictions of water and energy scarcity. It is quite remarkable!
At the southern end of the Waikoloa pastures the steep slopes of Mount Hualalai reach into the clouds, yet not far below the mountain’s wrinkled skin a great, pulsing engine of magma throbs! Now that we need a safer source of geothermal electricity, Hualalai is a natural choice. Additionally, Hualalai is closer to an ideal jumping off place for an inter-island power cable as well. I expect we will be hearing much more about geothermal energy and Hualalai in the future.
We are now facing the retirement of the Baby Boomers, and of course you have all read about that phenomenon. However, it is a good thing to think about the impact it may have on the State of Hawaii. If just one-percent (1%) of the Boomers retire to Hawaii we will need to build new retirement housing for 70,000 people! That is right … 1% equals 70,000 people. Yikes! There is only one place in the State that can handle that pressure, and it is Waikoloa. In fact, there are over 2000 homes already approved for construction, waiting in the wings for demand to rise.
During the course of my lifetime I have seen the shift in economic attention from the smaller Islands to the Big Island. Think of the great things that are going to happen in Hawaii over the next few decades. West Hawaii will be the center for all of that, and you or your kids may want to be a part of it all. A hui hou,
Bill N. Jardine, Big Island Buyers' Brokers"
Much mahalo Bill for your thoughts and knowledgeable insights regards the future of our beloved Kohala Coast. If the future of the Kohala Coast and Hawaii is in your hearts and on your minds, please leave a comment. Mahalo and aloha, Pua & Keoki
Hawaii Vacations
