Development

... if Honolulu were to revise upward all the other development standards as well — the minimum setbacks, the height limits, the maximum lot coverage and minimum lot widths and depths — the number of newly legal units could skyrocket ....

... This year our freedoms were expanded with the passage by our state lawmakers of important legislation. Those expansions covered taxes, housing and healthcare ....

... The remade Lahaina will be a tourist-oriented animation of the pre-plantation era when the economy was based on slaughtering lots of whales ....

... The county cannot ignore the constitutional rights of Maui property owners in its race to address its housing problems ....

... 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 ....

... Competitive bidding?  No need ....

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

... type your address in the search bar on the County of Maui Sewer Service Status interactive map ....

... a household making the median income in Hawaii of around $91,000 that currently owes about $5,300 in income taxes will incrementally see that amount owed go down to $1,600 by 2031 ....

... staffers from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii in attendance at Gov. Josh Green's recent bill-signing ceremonies for historic tax cuts and housing reform ....

... Despite the bill's timidity, passage of the bill was still a welcome move .... 

... the Sixth Proclamation Relating to Affordable Housing—remains in full effect ....

... It was mostly a good year for Hawaii at the 2024 Legislature, and policy experts from Grassroot will explain how that came to be ....

... bills designed to expand the affordable housing inventory and improve the governance of rental laws under the Residential Landlord-Tenant Code ....

... huge wins in the areas of taxes, healthcare and housing reform ....

... Twenty-eight percent of Hawaii residents spend more than 50% of their income on rent, and only 1-in-5 households can afford a median-priced home mortgage ....

... The USACE lead contractor on the project, Aktarius, LLC dba Dawson AKT ....

... involves sharing a percentage of net appreciation with HHFDC ....

... “Economic pressures will cause ‘toxic’ hysteria to be hyped up until locals sell out.  Then the hysteria will evaporate and be forgotten as Lahaina is rebuilt as Wailea v2 surrounding the ‘Venice of the Pacific’ water feature.”  -- HFP, Nov 2023 ....

... Get inside scoop at upcoming events on how good bills managed to prevail ....

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

... In establishing a new NHA, Congress designates a local coordinating entity—usually nonfederal—to coordinate and oversee administration of the area ....

... "Too bad Maui didn’t learn from the City getting spanked for unconstitutionally attempting to legislatively phase out vested property rights to STRs" ....

... 450 temporary studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom housing units across 54 acres ....

... disparities exist in local schools ....

... to assist residents with the process of applying for Disaster Recovery Building Permits for alterations, repairs, reconstruction and new construction of structures in areas affected by the August 2023 Maui wildfires ....

... 300 residential lots have been returned to the county of Maui allowing homeowners to begin the rebuilding process ....

... SB3202 is in conference committee ....

... at least five bills strongly supported by my colleagues and I at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii were passed out of conference committees and now will go for final votes at the House and Senate floor sessions ....

... A conference committee agreed to pass Senate Bill 2919, which would allow counties to create zoning laws regulating short-term rentals .... 

... allow the Hawaii County Department of Public Works to issue pre-approved model plans for multi-family housing — as it already does for single-family dwellings ....

... Sierra Club requested a contested case hearing on the issuance of any revocable permits for calendar year 2021. The BLNR denied the request and voted to continue the permits ....

... secretly to give $8,480,800 over the tax assessment to one specific family at the request of Neil Abercrombie ....

... highlights, frustrations at 2024 Legislature ....

... Case said relying only on rehousing is extremely difficult given the severe shortage of homes on Maui ....

... Re-entry activities, such as sifting, may be restricted ....

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

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

... No Lahaina burn zone property owners have been given building permits ....

... The developer requested a waiver for the project, but a year later, the permit is still pending ....

... The bills would enable starter homes, widen mixed-use housing, attract nurses to Hawaii and exempt doctors from the state GET ....

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

... 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 ....

... the harsh limits on the allowable number of water fixtures per property could render density-increasing measures essentially meaningless ....

... 36% of Hawaii’s homeowner population has lived in its current residence for at least 24 years ....

... These two measures would increase our housing supply not only on Oahu but throughout all of Hawaii by allowing smaller homes on smaller lots....

... Zoning Code, Permitting and Water Rules ....

... 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 ....

... 2024 Legislature resumes session and Grassroot Institute is on the case ....