Housing

It’s in reaction to a state law that gives counties until 2025 to adopt ordinances allowing commercial-to-residential building conversions, also known as adaptive reuse.

The unsheltered community of Maui’s Holomua Road is making changes for the better. Once lined with piled-up rubbish, the road is now cleaner thanks to regular community cleanups by residents and volunteers. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol has the story.

In an effort to combat the growing housing crisis in the state, the Honolulu City Council will take up Bill 46 which would implement a tax on empty homes. The Conversation talked to Council Chair Tommy Waters who introduced the measure.

The Honolulu City Council is once again considering a tax on vacant housing units; Does educational technology really help kids learn?

For Ah Hee ‘ohana in Lahaina, there’s a new meaning to being home for the holidays. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports that they’re the first family to complete their rebuild and pass all final inspections after last year’s wildfire.

The Honolulu City Council Budget Committee narrowly advanced a measure that would tax properties left vacant by up to 3%. A study by Hawaiʻi Appleseed estimated that there are 35,000 units sitting vacant on Oʻahu.

The Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting’s new technology has allowed the code review process to decrease to just nine days for residential permits. Six months ago, the code review process for a residential permit took half a year.

More Maui housing for fire survivors is coming online through the Federal Emergency Management Agency next week. But FEMA-housed residents will need to start paying rent for their units soon – at rates they think need to be adjusted. HPR’s Catherine Cluett Pactol reports.

Today on the show, historians share the stories about the voyage of the SS Kaimiloa from San Francisco to Tahiti 100 years ago and King David Kalākaua's last visit to San Diego

To expand housing options in West Maui for wildfire survivors, FEMA is collaborating with the County of Maui and Lahaina property owners to place modular housing units on private properties.