moving & Maui land question (long!)

OmMaNiPadMeHum wrote:
>
> ... our ultimate goal is to purchase a 1-3 acre parcel
> of land and build (ourselves - not "have built") a very modest and simple
> home off the grid using solar and cachement (or better source of H2O
> depending on the land.)
>
> <OKAY - now don't laugh!> What we're looking for is a parcel of land that
> won't kill us!...We would prefer
> something that is zoned for conservation (w/one house and small-ag use - or
> leasehold - or ag (although that's a joke, it seems...)


You don't say what you're willing to spend for this parcel.

Also, be aware that legislation enacted last session will severely limit
residential construction on ag land. Plenty of fo'real farmers have very
unhappy about gated "ag" communities going in around them with deed
restrictions prohibiting unsightly, pungent actual FARMING activities.

"Judy" <jbarrett@hawaii.dot.> wrote in message
news:1061486401-sch@news.lava.net...

>
> Also, be aware that legislation enacted last session will severely limit
> residential construction on ag land. Plenty of fo'real farmers have very
> unhappy about gated "ag" communities going in around them with deed
> restrictions prohibiting unsightly, pungent actual FARMING activities.
>
While there are undoubtbably some who are unhappy, I am willing to bet there
are others who are as happy as clams to see their land value go up.

OmMaNiPadMeHum wrote:

> <OKAY - now don't laugh!> What we're looking for is a parcel of land that
> won't kill us! I understand that so are a whole lot of other people -but I
> think our needs are a bit different than most - and I'm certain that the
> land is out there considering what we *don't* need. We would prefer
> something that is zoned for conservation (w/one house and small-ag use - or
> leasehold - or ag (although that's a joke, it seems...) - we don't want to
> develop the land (other than our simple home)

your simple home is development which needs special permits on conservation
land.

On conservation land you'll need a permit to cut a single branch off a
single tree (Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating). I don't know why you don't want
to call it ag. Many coffee farms are no bigger than 5 acres, and you can
feed a family on the AG income of a few thousand sqare feet of green house
if you find the right niche market. Ag doesn't necessarily mean commodity,
and it also doesn't have to mean tillable - not here, anyway.

Maren
(who farms on pahoehoe, but only on the side to a full time job)

OmMaNiPadMeHum wrote:

<snip>

> our ultimate goal is to purchase a 1-3 acre parcel
> of land and build (ourselves - not "have built") a very modest and simple
> home off the grid using solar and cachement (or better source of H2O
> depending on the land.)
>
> We're trying to live simply, and sustainably, and will be growing much of
> what we eat, and living very lightly.

<snip>

> We would prefer
> something that is zoned for conservation (w/one house and small-ag use - or
> leasehold - or ag (although that's a joke, it seems...) - we don't want to
> develop the land (other than our simple home) and we don't care a bit if we
> can never sell it for a profit

As Judy has stated, you'll have official "hoops" to jump through, given
the parameters you've set forth here. Maui isn't much different from here
on Kaua`i, from what I've learned -- and Kaua`i requires that "conservation"
land remain untouched (grazing may be permitted, under special circumstances)
and that "ag" be used exclusively for agriculture...with an outbuilding (read:
barn
or small _uninhabitable_ storage facility). Permits are required to install
cachment and solar systems (and are not automatically given to all who request).

Cesspools are now banned; septics are by permit only.

If $$ is an issue for purchase of land, focus on leasehold -- but check the
remaining time on the lease (some here on the north shore, are due to expire
within the next 10 years or so -- and lease extensions are not guaranteed).

You might get lucky and find a parcel which already has the land and
the building(s) you want -- a good real estate agent would be a wise
investment. Purchase of land "direct from owner" is risky, as the real estate
laws and land use issues in Hawai`i are specific -- but only if you know 'em!
:-)

-- auntie maria

Oh yeh, I live in Kula, and do we have rocks.

"Ben Sure" <normals@> wrote in message
news:1061612407-sch@news.lava.net...
>
> You better check the land for Water, rocks
> another person thinking all is coool
>
> going to pay dear for land
>
> I hope you have lot of MONEY
>

"OmMaNiPadMeHum" <gdead@4realtech.garcia> wrote in message
news:1061447707-sch@news.lava.net...
>
> Aloha group -
>
> First post here - and bear with me, it's a long one!
>
> My Ohana and I have visited Maui numerous times and I've known since
almost
> the moment I first stepped foot on Maui (before any of the three kids or
the
> wife was a wife) that it was where I belonged. Something greater than
myself
> is drawing me - But always being one to second-guess my intuition I have
> spent years making sure that this is what is right for my family and not
> just some "vacation fantasy"; reading volumes on the net, newspapers,
books,
> etc.; spoken with many transplants; spoken with many Hawaiians who've
moved
> to the mainland; visited and stayed in many areas of the island, including
> residential neighborhoods.
>
> Well, we've now got as good an idea as any mainlanders can have before
they
> do the move as to what to expect, what the challenges are, and we've had
> time to save some money and I've developed a successful, and operating
small
> business that I can continue to operate from anywhere that should allow us
> to afford living there (read "job!")
>
> So, we are finally moving to Maui in February. It looks like we'll be
> renting a home somewhere upcountry (not very picky as to exact location,
and
> I think we'll just show up and find a place while we're waiting for our
> container to show up) but our ultimate goal is to purchase a 1-3 acre
parcel
> of land and build (ourselves - not "have built") a very modest and simple
> home off the grid using solar and cachement (or better source of H2O
> depending on the land.)
>
> We're trying to live simply, and sustainably, and will be growing much of
> what we eat, and living very lightly.
>
> We're by no means rich, but we have managed to save a bit, and so long as
> the "self-directed job" (it's almost silly to call it a "business")
> continues to function as it has for the past year, will provide enough
money
> to achieve these goals.
>
> I've been searching for a couple years now for the right land "situation."
I
> seem to have learned quite a bit, and have even come close a couple
times -
> but no cigar - so I need help/direction!
>
> <OKAY - now don't laugh!> What we're looking for is a parcel of land that
> won't kill us! I understand that so are a whole lot of other people -but I
> think our needs are a bit different than most - and I'm certain that the
> land is out there considering what we *don't* need. We would prefer
> something that is zoned for conservation (w/one house and small-ag use -
or
> leasehold - or ag (although that's a joke, it seems...) - we don't want to
> develop the land (other than our simple home) and we don't care a bit if
we
> can never sell it for a profit (this is *not* an investment <at least not
> for money :-) we just want a place that we can set up to live our lives
the
> way know we should be living, which (among other things) includes reducing
> our recurring monthly expenses (like rent, utilities, food, etc.) to a
> minimum.
>
> So, I'm throwing this out here in the hopes that someone can steer me in
the
> right direction - or *heaven sent* I get lucky enough to get this to the
> eyes of someone who is on the other end of looking for this "situation" -
or
> even like-minded persons looking for the same situation that maybe we can
> pool our resources...who knows, hope springs eternal, and, one way or
> another, we'll get there!
>
> Mahalo nui loa for any input!
>
I don't know if this will be good news or bad news, but upcountry land is
not cheap. And there is the problem of water. If the land does not already
have a permit to use county water, you may have a hard time getting approval
for using county water on the land. Of course you can always drill for
water, but that also ain't cheap.