VIDEO: People Jump in Water as Fire Burns Thru Historic Lahaina Town
Hawaii cannot prevent gun owners from carrying in many public areas — for now
Temporary Restraining Order Granted in Hawaii Second Amendment Case
Staircase proposal could be small step toward more housing
Honolulu sued for plans to demolish iconic ‘Stairway to Heaven’
Judge rules against another 4-month delay in Miske trial
ILind: … Federal Judge Derrick Watson has denied a motion filed by Delia Fabro-Miske that would have further delayed the scheduled trial of former Honolulu business owner, Michael J. Miske Jr., and his remaining five co-defendants.
Watson’s order, filed on Monday, August 7, reviewed the criteria used to judge whether a delay, or continuance, is justified, and found none of the issues cited in Fabro-Miske’s motion tipped the scales in favor of the requested 4-month continuance.
The trial was initially scheduled for September 2020, but has been repeatedly delayed. The most recent delay was granted on April 29 at the request of Mike Miske after his lead trial attorney was removed from the case due to conflicts of interest. The trial is now scheduled to begin in January.
Prosecutors did not oppose the request for the additional 4-month delay….
PDF: Order Denying Defendant Delia Fabro-Miske's Motion to Continue Trial
read … Judge rules against another 4-month delay in Miske trial | i L i n d
Honolulu Council To Decide Whether To Pay For HPD Officer's Defense In Lawsuit Over Fatal Shooting
CB: … Prosecuting Attorney Steve Alm declined to press criminal charges against Robello in September, saying body camera footage of the incident and witness statements showed the use of force was justified, and in self-defense….
read … Honolulu Council To Decide Whether To Pay For HPD Officer's Defense In Lawsuit Over Fatal Shooting - Honolulu Civil Beat
Affordable Housing? $2,400 per month for a studio apartment in Hilo
HTH: … “For Hawaii County, if you look at the 40% EMI (equated monthly installment), which is the affordability threshold, that’s equivalent to $2,400 for a studio rental, and this proclamation doesn’t even target that rate,” Tanaka said. “We’re essentially looking at a proposal to suspend a whole range of environmental and cultural and good governance protections to build housing units that may not be affordable to those truly in need of housing or even to local residents.”…
Both the working group meeting and the informational session will be streamed at https://tinyurl.com/mr3rwpbv
read … More questions than answers: County to have four seats on panel created by governor’s housing proclamation - Hawaii Tribune-Herald
'Affordable Housing’ Projects In Hawaii Are Unaffordable To Many
CB: … The three-story walk-up apartment building has provided homes for lower-income families in the working class Kalihi-Palama neighborhood for 62 years. But a sales pitch for the property offers a bigger vision.
The ad says 1202-A Pua Lane qualifies for redevelopment under Honolulu’s Bill 7, which allows developers to build bigger apartments with breaks on things like parking space requirements and utility fees if they rent at least 80% of the new units as affordable homes for at least 15 years. 1202-A Pua Lane’s ad even offers architectural schematics showing how to increase the building’s units to 30 or 60 from 15.
Another selling point: “All units are currently occupied/rented on a month-to-month basis,” the ad says. So a buyer could quickly push out the tenants and rebuild….
The policy might seem like a no-brainer for the City and County of Honolulu: to encourage replacing 15 old, market-rate units with 60 new affordable ones, given the island’s acute housing shortage.
But there’s a catch. Under Bill 7’s definition of “affordable,” a two-bedroom affordable unit could rent as high as $2,947 a month – much more than the $500 to $1,300 a month residents of 1202-A Pua Lane now pay, according to the property’s rent roll….
The issue is that “affordable housing” is a technical term with a range of meanings. Sometimes, it truly means low-priced such as that targeted to people earning no more than 60% of the area’s median income, about $55,000 for an individual on Oahu. Under that definition an affordable studio would rent for $1,375 or less a month. But developers say that kind of housing needs federal and state subsidies to pencil out.
Under Bill 7, developers are expected to foot the whole bill, so instead of cash they get perks like exemptions from certain zoning laws. They can also charge higher rents. Bill 7 defines “affordable” as something within the budget of people earning up to 100% of Honolulu’s median income — $91,000 for an individual and $131,000 for a family of four. Under that definition, a developer can rent out an “affordable” studio for as much as $2,292 and a two-bedroom apartment for $2,947 a month. …
read … Affordable Housing’ Projects In Hawaii Are Unaffordable To Many
Public invited to Q&A about Green’s emergency housing order
SA: … The event is slated to run from 2:30 to 3 p.m. on the governor’s GovJoshGreen Facebook page and @govhawaii Instagram feed, respectively at facebook.com/GovJoshGreen and instagram.com/govhawaii.
Medeiros is expected to answer top questions on the subject already received by Green’s office through various channels as well as some questions submitted during the planned event ….
read … Public invited to Q&A about Green’s emergency housing order
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