Roadblocks to Building on Maui

Zoning Code, Permitting and Water Rules.

Hawaii Together, March 13, 2024

The host for this show is Joe Kent. The guest is Syd Smith.

Maui is one of the most regulated counties in the United States when it comes to land use and homebuilding — and this has proven to be a major obstacle to quick construction of emergency housing for residents who were displaced by the island’s devastating wildfires in August 2023.

Syd Smith, owner of Maliko Estate Coffee and a facilitator for the Maui Ag Working Group, says she knows a few ways housing construction on Maui could be speeded up, and she shares those ideas during this episode of ʻHawaii Togetherʻ hosted by Joe Kent, executive vice president of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

Smith talks about some of the rules that make Maui homebuilding so difficult and Maui home prices so expensive, and shares her experiences of trying to coordinate with FEMA — the Federal Emergency Management Agency — to find housing for Maui’s displaced residents.

The ThinkTech YouTube Playlist for this show is  • Hawaii Together