Housing

Maui County's Committee on Housing and Land Use is in the midst of listening to nearly 200 testifiers signed up to voice their opinions on a proposal that would phase out about 7,000 transient vacation rentals. HPR's Catherine Cluett-Pactol has more.

Bill 47 is a partial revival of a set of measures that failed last year that would have overhauled zoning and operational laws on “transient vacation rentals” in the County of Hawaiʻi.

The Conversation's Catherine Cruz observed a count of individuals experiencing homelessness throughout Waikīkī.

A 47-unit West Maui rental housing development for Lahaina educators is expected to be completed in December.

A temporary housing development is nearing completion for fire survivors in Lahaina who didn’t qualify for FEMA assistance. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports that, along with a roof over their heads, residents are also finding stability and community.

Bill 47 is a renewed effort by some council members to reform what the measure calls “transient vacation rentals,” or short-term rentals offered on sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.

More than 800 homeowners lived in their Lahaina homes at the time of the 2023 fire. The Lahaina Homeowner Recovery Program could save those homeowners an estimated $4.5 million in property survey costs.

A new University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization report found that though the local housing market is stable and improving, increasing supply still has its challenges.

Starting March 1, fire survivor households in FEMA’s direct housing program on Maui were required to start paying rent. Now, as HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports, some of those families are delinquent and facing removal from the program.

An empty homes tax could net the City and County of Honolulu nearly $300 million in revenue over the first decade. HPR's Mark Ladao reports on a new feasibility study for a measure known as Bill 46 that would create the new tax.