Gov. Josh Green touts Senate Bill 2919 as pivotal tool to address the state’s housing crisis and ensures counties can guide their future development, but opponents say it does not address the true causes of Hawai’i’s housing shortage.
Gov. Josh Green followed through on his pledge to sign Senate Bill 2919, clarifying the counties’ authority to regulate short-term rentals. Mayor Richard Bissen has already moved ahead with introducing a bill to phase-out thousands of short-term rentals to open up long-term housing for residents.
Thousands of short-term vacation rental apartments could begin switching to long-term housing for residents as early as July 1, 2025, for West Maui, and Jan. 1, 2026, for the rest of Maui County in a proposed measure announced today by Mayor Richard Bissen.
After 175 days, the Lahaina Strong group announced its end to the occupation of Kāʻanapali Beach as part of its Fishing for Dignified Housing initiative.
The state of Hawai‘i and its partners broke ground and held a Hawaiian blessing ceremony Tuesday for a Ka Laʻi Ola, a 450-unit temporary housing project in Lahaina to help displaced wildfire survivors who’re ineligible for aid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.