Hawaii is the Only U.S. State Not Investing in Manufactured Housing
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Student enrollment in Lahaina has plummeted over 20% since the 2023 wildfire
MN: … Lahainaluna High Principal Richard Carosso said 1,012 students were enrolled on Aug. 7, 2023, the day before the fire. That enrollment fell to 870 during the 2023-24 school year and is now down to 813 for this school year.
(TRANSLATION: The Ali’i Trust Agenda is working as planned!)
Carosso said one reason for the nearly 20% drop from pre-fire enrollment is due to “kids leaving the island, going back to the mainland, back to the countries that their families are from.”
Since the start of the 2023-24 school year, 46 Lahainaluna students have moved out of Hawaiʻi.
Carosso added that 36 students left Lahaina to go to Maui Preparatory Academy and other private schools, 11 transferred to other public schools within the state, and eight moved to alternative education or home school….
read … Student enrollment in Lahaina has plummeted over 20% since the 2023 wildfire
Maui County Refusing Water and Sewer Connections to Lahaina Front Street Apartments
MN: … If the deal goes through as planned, the state would purchase property located at 1050 Front St. and Front Street Apartments Subdivision Lots 2 and 3 for $856,200 cash at closing from Weinberg Foundation entities.
The purchase price is equal to Maui County’s assessed fair market value of the properties, but “uninformed by the impacts of the wildfires.” The proposal was approved by a unanimous board vote on Sept. 12. (See YouTube video beginning at 2:20.)
During board discussion of the proposal, ex-officio board member Luis Salaveria, director of the state Department of Budget and Finance, said that rebuilding in Lahaina “is a very sensitive, emotional, touchy subject.” He asked: “Realistically, when do we think this property can be redeveloped?”
HHFDC Executive Director Dean Minakami said that, even with expedited permitting, “it’ll be several years before we can break ground on the project.”
(TRANSLATION: Everybody who lived there must leave Maui.)
Hale Mahaolu has been selected as the project developer, Minakami said, but the agency has not made progress with project design because it hasn’t been able to secure a commitment of water or sewer capacity from Maui County.
(CLUE: Hawaiian activists have taken control of water supplies and are implementing the ‘Alii Trust Agenda.’)
However, “we’ve had recent discussions with the county, though, and I think we finally have a path forward where the county can commit a certain amount of capacity for the project, which will allow Hale Mahaolu to move forward with design and permitting,” he said.
(TRANSLATION: 100% phoney baloney. They might pretend to allow water knowing that the SMA permit will be denied.)
Minakami said another “hang-up” in moving the project forward will be obtaining a special management area permit, which would be reviewed by the Maui Planning Commission. Even before last year’s wildfires, it was taking more than a year to get an SMA permit, he said. And, “it’s only gotten longer since the fires.” …
(See? Told you.)
read … State housing agency approves acquisition of wildfire-demolished Front Street Apartments
To Drive Locals Out, Advocates pushing to keep rents at $4000 a month on Maui
KITV: … As more Maui residents mull over whether to leave the island amid an ongoing housing crisis, advocates and lawmakers have been debating over how to approach affordable housing.
Community organizers with the (so-called) “Maui Tenants and Workers Association” have been pushing county councilmembers to back legislation that would allow for rent stabilization (at the new $4000 a month rates created by FEMA subsidies.)
Councilmember Tasha Kama has said she would not introduce such a measure because it could deter investors, leading to "less housing for those who need it."
(‘Stabilization’ would also prevent rents from going back down once the FEMA subsidies end.)
Kama’s press release added the council’s Housing and Land Use Committee is set to meet next week Wednesday and will likely discuss a comprehensive approach to housing….
HNN: Maui family of 5 now homeless due to ripple effect of fire disaster
read … Advocates, lawmakers on Maui clash over rent stabilization, affordable housing
HPD threatens to seize property to combat illegal game rooms
KITV: … Honolulu Police officials and Homeland Security Investigations held a press conference on Friday announcing new measures taken to combat illegal game rooms on Oahu.
During the press conference, officials said that HPD officers and HSI agents have started giving out warning notices to property owners, asking them to take responsibility, or else their property could be seized.
In just the past two weeks, officers have served notices to more than 60 property owners suspected of illegal game room activity.
"It has a full spectrum. So you have your, you know, businessman type that typically don't do anything else. They have an opportunity to profit from illegal gaming, all the way to straight up organized crime," said HPD Maj. Mike Lambert….
HPD says the timeline on these investigations could take anywhere between three weeks to three to four months. They're also letting the public know that they are prioritizing game rooms that are near schools and churches….
CB: Illegal Game Rooms: Landlords May Face More Fines, Code Violations
PDF: game-rooms-report.pdf (documentcloud.org)
SA: Owners of Oahu illegal game room sites risk losing property | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
KITV: Honolulu police intends to close down illegal game rooms for good | Video | kitv.com
read … HPD threatens to seize property to combat illegal game rooms
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