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Hawaii Join NATO? State Department Responds
Nago: No HD1 Special Election After Nakashima Death
Green Names Climate Advisory Team
Weasel Words: Lahaina Front Street will not be allowed to rebuild. Are you in a ‘Flood Zone’?
HNN: … Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen is proposing to allow destroyed buildings in Lahaina to be rebuilt, even if they don’t meet current zoning rules. Meanwhile, the mayor also plans to approve tougher coastal erosion rules for what can be built near the ocean.
(TRANSLATION: Front Street properties will not be allowed to rebuild.)
The proposed new erosion hazard line is based on estimates of a 3.2-foot sea rise in sea level this century and cuts right through some established and burned-out neighborhoods. The question is how the new rule will affect those homeowners’ and businesses’ ability to rebuild.
Among those watching the signals from the county are Front Street property owners, who are mostly on the wrong side of that new erosion line and the 40-foot no-build setback it defines.
(TRANSLATION: Front Street properties will not be allowed to rebuild.)
Kaleo Schneider, whose family, descended from Lucy and Antonio Furtado, has owned parcels on the ocean at Front Street for over a century, said they and other commercial owners are hoping the county would let them rebuild the way Lahaina was.
“There’s 100 Furtados in our family that existed on the income from our buildings,” she said. “And then we had over 20 stores, and those 20 stores had multiple employees.”…
At the same time, the mayor’s office says it intends to approve the shoreline rules. Mayor Bissen is also proposing to make rebuilding much easier for people whose homes or businesses were built before current codes — as long as they rebuild in the same way.
Bill 105 was just sent to the Maui Council. It allows the Reconstruction of nonconforming structures in the burn zone that can be finished in four years. “Provided that they are in compliance with existing building, fire, and flood safety requirements.”
(Weasel Words: “Flood safety.” The plan is to remake Lahaina as ‘The Venice of the Pacific’ by FLOODING it. Flooded house lots will be confiscated.)
The owners must also be able to document what the structure was before the fire. Schneider said most Lahaina commercial owners are prepared to do that.
“There is no greed here; there is no wanting to go bigger and better; we want to just have our footprints back,” she said….
Experts who reviewed the rebuilding proposal for Hawaii News Now say it’s unclear whether buildings that don’t conform to shoreline setbacks, like those in the Special Management Area on Front Street, would be exempt from the shoreline rules.
(TRANSLATION: Front Street properties will not be allowed to rebuild.)
The county did not provide clarification, and shoreline preservation experts say rebuilding close to shore will be risky…. Fletcher said the better alternative is a government buyout or land swap to move structures away from threatened shorelines….
Bill 105: Text, Status
read … Maui county will tighten shoreline rules while loosening rules in Lahaina burn zone
Federal Judge Rules Against Maui County Taking Private Land Soon For Expanded County Dump
CB: … The ruling likely will result in the estimated 400,000 tons of fire debris and ash staying much longer than expected in the ‘temporary’ dump site at Olowalu….
SA: Lahaina wildfire final debris site hits snag
read … Federal Judge Rules Against Maui County Taking Private Land Soon For Lahaina Fire Debris
Friday deadline set for prosecutors to cite specific evidence in response to Miske’s motion for acquittal
ILind: … This is the second motion for a directed judgment of acquittal. A similar motion was made last month when the government rested its case in chief.
At that time, Judge Watson denied the motion as to most of the charges, although it was granted on two charges stemming from the ambush of Lindsey Kinney at Kualoa Ranch in 2017….
read … Friday deadline set for prosecutors to cite specific evidence in response to Miske’s motion for acquittal
SB2601: Extended Reporting for child sex-abuse survivors
SA: … Thanks to the 2024 legislative session, Hawaii is taking an important step toward recognizing the unique challenges facing survivors of sex abuse, helping them on the long road to recovery and justice. At its core, changes to the law recognize the reality that most survivors never report their abuse, and — of those who do have the courage to share their story — the average delay in reporting is 20 years.….
read … Column: Fresh hope for child sex-abuse survivors
‘Community benefits’ – How to bribe the politically connected to support wind farms
IM: … Can a community say no? Is a developer guaranteed the right to build by paying a community tax?
Energy infrastructure development has always had winners and losers. Host Community Agreements (HCAs), Community Benefits Plans (CBPs), and Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) attempt to provide a more balanced field for Environmental Justice (EJ) communities.
The Institute of Energy Justice published a “White Paper: Community Benefits Policy and Energy Justice” in June 2024 ….
read … Compensating Communities for Hosting Undesirable Projects | Ililani Media
Chinatown Business Owners Filing Claims From June Power Outages Unsure How Much Will Be Covered
CB: … For restaurants, the outages meant lost tips and wages and spoiled food, but also damaged equipment from power surges….
read … Chinatown Business Owners Filing Claims From June Power Outages Unsure How Much Will Be Covered
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