Land Use

...Governor Green has appointed Ryan Kanakaʻole to serve as chairperson and director of the department. He has also appointed David Day to serve as first deputy....

... SCOTUS ruling against OHA in 2009 means special protection for Hawaiian Homelands today ....

...The findings and recommendations will be presented during the SPEED Summit, scheduled for January 15, 2027....

"Bill 88 does not automatically rezone a single property. Instead, it creates a legislative pathway. If the bill passes the full council, individual property owners would still need to apply for a zone change on a case-by-case basis."

"The 2026 Legislative Session is done. After 2,459 bills, 397 housing bills, and a lot of late nights, two of our biggest ideas crossed the finish line."

...County acquiring MLP’s West Maui water system, along with select Upcountry water infrastructure and other MLP assets....

... Chinese State TV interviews Joe Kent of Grassroot Institute ....

... meaningful housing reform proposals that passed and are awaiting the governor’s approval ....

... Rep Tokuda irate because no cash offer for Hawaii military land leases is included as a line item in the Defense budget ....

... UHERO Hawaiʻi Housing Factbook 2026, fourth edition -- offering detailed analysis of the state’s housing market ....

... Cities that require the highest income to afford a home ....

... The State of Hawaii has the third-worst retention of 20-30 year olds across all states ....

... O'ahu population trends, housing construction activities, land use approvals, and other trends ....

...Hawaii has the most expensive average home price in the country, the smallest average home size of any state, and yard space that costs over 200% more than the national average....

...After a 13-year legal battle, a trial court agreed that Hawaii owed $7 million for his land....

... If we want to end the housing crisis, we need to build more homes ....

Bill 2987 would reduce the risk of farmers and ranchers paying more in property taxes than they should for having certain commercial structures on their lands, including food processing facilities or slaughterhouses.... 

...the homestead associations he championed in his first decade of service were multi-ethnic groups seeking the fee-simple ownership of land promised in the Hawaii Organic Act....

...For 23 of the past 25 years, more residents have left Hawaiʻi for the continent than have arrived....

... 2023: Same Commission on Water Resource Management denied firefighting water for Lahaina .... 

...Two important housing reform measures were unexpectedly killed this week as the state House and Senate prepared for “crossover” at the Legislature....

... The legislation focuses on increasing housing production, reducing regulatory barriers, and supporting the infrastructure necessary to sustain growth ....

... The Hawaii Democratic Party now has 30 days to give Gov. Josh Green a list of potential candidates to replace Holt in the House. Green will then have 60 days to select Holt’s replacement ....

... Green has two years to convince the feds to pay $10 billion for some of the most critical military training grounds in the Pacific ....

...Grassroot’s new “Hawaii housing policy playbook” outlines 10 policies that research has shown could encourage more homebuilding, which would make housing in our state more abundant and affordable.... 

... The “housing policy playbook” is intended to help state and county lawmakers remove or reform the many regulatory barriers that stifle Hawaii homebuilding ....

...Allow more small homes to be built on agricultural lands....

... Carpio holds a Bachelor of Science in agriculture and horticulture from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and is a co-founder of the Maui Nui Makai Network and The Limu Hui ....

... while Chair Dawn Chang is out on medical leave. Effective immediately, Deputy Director Ryan Kanaka‘ole will serve as acting chair and director of DLNR ....

... A second lawsuit has been filed challenging Maui Bill 9 ....

... Bill 9 will cause job losses for Maui residents, impede entrepreneurship, reduce county tax revenues and result in expensive litigation against the county ....

... The ink of Bissen’s signature is barely dry and, precisely as predicted, the litigation is already beginning ....

... Proposal 064: Streamline housing approvals via reform of zoning variance hearing and notice rules ....

... some properties were re-classified within high-risk zones — known as Special Flood Hazard Areas — for the first time ....

... The current use of deed restrictions traps residents, preventing them from downsizing or upsizing as their needs change without facing a financial penalty ....

"This puts Hawaiʻi in a more advantageous position than we were in just weeks ago.”

... ONE MORE WELL LIKE KAHANA WILL SOLVE THIS FAKE PROBLEM .... 

... housing is at the center of every crisis we face ....

...The state of Hawai‘i has learned that the offices of the U.S. Army Secretary and the U.S. Department of Justice have begun consultations on the Army’s legal right of condemnation for training lands in Hawai‘i....

...Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice have teamed up with the Rice Street Business Association....

... Across Hawaiʻi, many lands remain unused ....

... Green became the first governor in the nation to declare their state’s housing crisis a statewide public emergency in summer 2023 ....

... Speaking to an audience of more than 70, including state and county lawmakers and department executives, the four presenters touched on myriad possible reforms, including those related to land-use laws, inclusionary zoning, density regulations, parking and amenities requirements, and farm-worker housing ....

... parking mandates are adding tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of construction of new homes on Oʻahu ....

... Governor Green and Secretary Driscoll anticipate working toward a Memorandum of Understanding by the end of this year, with the goal of outlining clear parameters for a suitable land arrangement and addressing the issues most important for Hawaiʻi’s communities ....

... Our housing crisis is the result of past choices. The solution requires the courage to make new ones going forward ....

... authorizes acquisition through exchange or lease ....

... know how to win ....

... The Oct. 15 event will focus on research and practical reforms aimed at addressing Hawaii's acute need for more housing ....

...littoral property owners are owed nothing for the temporary regulatory taking of small portions of accreted beach....