Land Use

“...MLP has said it is navigating a historic West Maui drought by adhering to the guidance from the Commission on Water Resources Management to prioritize stream flow and traditional and customary uses, followed by delivery to the County of Maui to provide drinking water for Lahaina….”

"... the first five (of 15) emergency proclamations’ measures addressing affordable housing exceed the governor’s emergency powers ...."

"...going after scapegoats such as empty homes and short-term rentals is not a viable way to increase the housing supply...."

"The Army’s current leases expire in 2029 and while federal leaders have emphasized national security concerns, they’ve also indicated they could act through eminent domain, which would leave Hawai‘i with nothing in return."

... two for BLNR, one for Stadium Authority ....

"We want to work with you to come to a mutually acceptable framework by the end of this year"

... Hawaii's master lease renewal process pays off big for Chile ... and now Spain ....

... Schatz Introduces YIMBY Act To Encourage Localities To Cut Regulations, Adopt Pro-Housing Policies ....

... Trustee to succeed Trustee Robert K.W.H. Nobriga, whose term expired on June 30, 2025 ....

... Our state budget already is in chaos, and adding more workarounds and sleight of hand will not make things better! ....

... in Hawaii investor buyers outnumber investor sellers more than any other state .... 

... If we can't make this stuff up, how can legislators and councilmembers use it as an excuse for their pre-conceived agendas? .... 

... Over the past five years, 15 energy projects in the state have been cancelled — more than half of the power projects being considered ....

... 64,490 additional units are needed through 2027 but only 13,471 units are currently in development pipelines and anticipated to be available by 2027 .... 

... Bills that will help mitigate Hawaii’s housing crisis include ....

... the policy could also reduce visitor spending by nearly $900 million annually, resulting in job and income losses, declining property values and an estimated $60 million drop in county property tax revenues ....

... Governor Green has nominated three Circuit Court Judges in the Circuit Court of the Third Circuit and Hannah Kihalani Springer to the Commission on Water Resource Management ....

...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....

... The state must now open the historic Haleakala Trail for public access, putting an end to a decade-long fight for it to be declared a public right of way ....

... he’s paying a mortgage on an empty lot and watching his resources drain away while waiting for permits and approvals to rebuild ....

... It’s a situation formed by both negligence and design ....

... promising policies, such as those mentioned in a new CEI report, may signal Hawaii is headed in a new direction in regulating its permitting system ....

... some properties may now be classified within high-risk zones, known as Special Flood Hazard Areas, for the first time ....

... control of water is the enviros new tool to block affordable housing and force you out of Hawaii ....

“...Hawaii doesn’t have a scarcity of land. We build housing and urban development on only 5% of the land mass....”

... Hawaii’s high housing costs are due mostly to Hawaii’s excessively strict land-use and zoning regulations, as well as its long permitting wait times ....

“...Lessons from Maui as LA Begins to Rebuild....”

... some tantalizing crumbs about how to raise a claim that a taking lacks a public use or purpose ....

... This bill would also raise the residential height limit along Ala Moana Boulevard to 400 feet ....

... OHA Trustees are hoping 2025 will be the year legislators stop laughing at their Kaka’ako Makai upzone bills ....

... State land use laws significantly restrict urban development, meaning neighborhoods or condos can only make up about 5 percent of the state ....

... we only build in Hawaii on 5% of the land mass — 95% is agriculture or preservation land ....

... the (US) Supreme Court has held that the government cannot “compel a landowner over objection to rent his property” without violating the Takings Clause ....

... is there really a pent-up demand for high-density housing? ....

... Links And Materials From Hawaii Bar Association Takings Program ....

... Will OHA transfer control of Kahana Valley to one of its LLCs? ....

... Hawai`i homes are unaffordable, many Hawaiians and others have moved away and the ones still here are renters who work multiple jobs just to make ends meet ....

... There have been a lot of sharp words in the news lately ....

... The nine leases and 25 revocable permits represent a continuation of the transfers under Act 90. Passed by the legislature in 2003 ....

... The latest proclamation places a pause on the automatic adoption of county building codes ....

... Hawaii had the number one largest cost increase of any state in the country ....

... It also requests an order from the Court that provides the state owns the land clear of interest or claim by the defendant ....

... Hawaiʻi Supreme Court’s unanimous decision of Rosehill v. State of Hawaiʻi, Land Use Commission, where the court held that farm dwellings in the agricultural district cannot be used as short-term vacation rentals under Hawaiʻi law ....

... While Figuring Out Gun "Sensitive Places," CA9 Backhandedly Upholds The Right To Exclude ....

... John (Kani) Kadowaki, Maui Operations Manager of Hawaii Water Service, honored with the Living Water Award during annual Water Summit ....

... beekeepers on the island "have been working on this bill for almost seven years" ....

... The project is on track for its first deployment of a 50-meter array of structures near the Ulupaʻu crater, off the Kailua Bay side of Marine Corps Base Hawaiʻi in late 2024, early 2025 ....

... Bill 3 (2024), which greatly enhances incentives to developers to help generate rental housing projects ....

... preserving property rights, lifting onerous regulations, pushing back against proposals that could negatively impact local residents, and supporting efforts to rebuild after the devastating Maui wildfires ....

... This spring, Hawaii joined the growing list of states that have loosened restrictions on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to alleviate the housing shortage ....