Land Use

... virtually all local economists realize the main cause of Hawaii’s housing crisis is the state’s extremely high number of land-use and other housing-related regulations that have hindered homebuilding ....

... The crisis stems principally from land use policies that artificially restrict housing supply ....

... The plan will have its first hearing on June 25 before the Maui Planning Commission ....

... The program creates partnerships between federal agencies, state and local governments, private landowners, land managers and non-profits to preserve sensitive lands and resources near military bases ....

... Three Words: 'Conflict Of Interest' ....

... The bill clarifies the counties’ authority to control the time, place, manner, and duration of land uses, particularly transient accommodations including short-term rentals ....

... AG Lopez structured the FSRI contract to focus entirely on the role of public agencies, thus avoiding any liability borne by Hawaiian Electric or private landowners such as KSBE ....

... City Seeks to Dismiss Marconi Claims, Supports Move to Depose Bribery Convicts ....

... regulations and objections by various special interests ....

"It’s like Kabuki theater."

... Twenty years later, we are still having the same conversations ....

... BLNR, BoE, UH Regents and more ...

... bills that could significantly ease Hawaii's emergency-status housing crisis ....

... Resolution 24-65 contains most of the usual anti-housing rhetoric, and even claims that making it easier to create smaller, more affordable homes would somehow result in more so-called monster homes ....

... state law allows homeowners to divide their ownership rights into separate “lots of record” for ownership purposes, but the County Department of Planning and Permitting will still only recognize the property as one lot ....

... at Akakū Maui Community Media on Saturday, March 16th from 9:30am - 1pm ....

... HB1630 and SB3202 would allow homeowners to subdivide their lots and build additional homes ....

... 119,326 acres of federal, state, private, and public lands are being designated as critical habitat for 12 species, meaning these areas have been identified as essential for the conservation of one or more of the species ....

... “We’ve got this long line of developers who have been trying for decades to get a permit at the Water Commission” ....

... monsters lurk behind every corner ....

... regulatory costs $387,000 per unit ....

... Green assigns the BBB’s duties to the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC), which will review developer applications for eligibility and process fee waiver exemptions ....

... how to facilitate homebuilding in Hawaii at no cost to taxpayers ....

... the minimum lot size on Maui of 6,000 square feet incentivizes the construction of large homes rather than smaller, more affordable ones ....

... the proclamations have only been used once ....

... “artificial limiters” imposed on the housing stock via the state’s 5% cap on land zoned for residential ....

... To date, 24,200 acres of agricultural lands have been transferred by DLNR to HDOA. In October 2023, the HBOA approved, accepting 99 more parcels on the list, totaling 21,672 acres, which still requires the review and approval of the BLNR ....

... Turn Lahaina into Wailea v2 surrounding the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ water feature ....

... Small, focused policies could free up homebuilders and generate a wave of new housing construction ....

... it’s taken almost half a year to see anything come from the governor’s emergency proclamation ....

... what can Hawaii policymakers do? ....

... a roadmap that can help make it happen ....

... The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii urges lawmakers to prioritize zoning and other reforms because residents need homes now ....

... if Hawaii is so popular, why has its population declined for seven years in a row? ....

... government actions created the demand for STRs in the first place, and government regulatory failures “created housing unaffordability long before STRs even came into existence." ....

... U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawai'i recently reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would incentivize state and local governments to liberalize housing regulations around transit projects ....

... how many years will depend on which path is taken ....

... 'Minatoya List' short-term rentals are condotels competing with the ILWU controlled hotels.  That is why they are being targeted ....

“... It’s absurd, the socialist mentality, they think they own the land ....”

... the role that ‘damaging clauses’ found in more than half of state constitutions across the United States play in inverse condemnation claims related to natural disasters ....

... councillors representing a higher number of homeowners are more likely to oppose housing bills ....

... since 1969, the median home price in Hawaii has surged from being less than three times the median income to nearly 10 times the median income today ....

... testimony to the Honolulu, Maui and Kauai county councils about measures that could increase the supply of housing ....

... The families and individuals who owned homes and businesses in Lahaina should not have their property rights arbitrarily stripped away from them to satisfy the grand plans of some bureaucracy ....

... 99 agricultural parcels, totaling 21,672 acres ....

... all boards involved in an affordable housing project covered by the proclamation should comply with the Sunshine Law’s requirements ....

... Fallow agricultural lands now comprise approximately 40% of all agricultural lands or 25% of lands across the state ....

... Hawaii Bar Association discusses Lahaina fires .... 

“...Does social housing actually work? Setting the record straight on the Vienna Model....”

... fake 'investigation' ends as soon as Maui Council ponies up political capital ....