housing

Hawaiʻi County has streamlined its construction permitting process in an effort to make building easier for homeowners and lenders. Mayor Mitch Roth has signed Bill 84 to amend a section of the county law dealing with construction permit applications.

A proposed bill amendment would waive real property taxes for vacation rental owners who convert to long-term rentals to open up housing for displaced fire victims.

Officials overseeing Hawaiʻi’s homeless services say they need a boost in funding just to keep up with the rising cost of services. The state Department of Human Services’ Homeless Programs Office contracts outside providers for services like rapid rehousing, outreach and civil legal services.

There are around 6,500 homeless individuals in the state, according to last year's Point in Time Count, which provides a snapshot of the homeless population. Of that number, more than 4,000 live in unsheltered areas like beaches or sidewalks. Part of the state's plan to decrease unsheltered homelessness includes providing “deeply affordable” housing, at no more than $500 per month. HPR's Mark Ladao has more.

Some local land surveyors are worried that the Lahaina cleanup efforts may disturb the boundary markers, also called monuments or pins, that indicate property lines. While there are paper records of past land surveys in Lahaina, one surveyor said documents are not always the most reliable resources. Residents who end up with conflicting ideas about their property lines could face costly delays. HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports.

Gov. Josh Green on water and housing; Suicide prevention efforts on Molokaʻi; HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol on a transportation nonprofit; The Long View's Neal Milner on holidays and free speech

Mauiʻs housing shortage is in crisis. As Lahaina residents are shuffled between temporary housing options, calls are getting louder to convert short-term rentals into long-term housing. What would that take? And is it even possible? HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol reports.

It's been more than three months since the fire, and many of Lahaina's immigrant communities are facing the dilemma of deciding whether to wait and rebuild or leave their homes forever. Roughly one-third of Lahaina's population is foreign-born, according to U.S. Census figures. HPR's Cassie Ordonio has more.

Federal aid for temporary shelter of displaced Lahaina residents ends in less than two years. By that time, construction of permanent housing may not even have started. Finding temporary housing solutions for this gap period is the immediate focus of the House Interim Shelter Working Group, which held its first public hearing Friday. HPR’s Kuʻuwehi Hiraishi has more.

The evolution of downtown Honolulu is continuing, from post-COVID to hybrid work-from-home. The neighborhood is pushing ahead with about half a billion dollars in real estate investments that are underway. Pacific Business News editor-in-chief A. Kam Napier has more.