The nonpartisan group targets regulations and fees that could be removed or waived to more quickly help displaced residents
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii has released a second policy brief regarding how to speed up homebuilding on Maui in the wake of the deadly August 2023 wildfires that killed 102 people in Lahaina and left thousands of people homeless.
The brief, “Six ways to speed up the recovery and rebuilding of Lahaina,” was sent yesterday to Gov. Josh Green, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen, all members of the Maui County Council and Hawaii State Legislature, and local Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Robert Fenton Jr.
Written by Grassroot staffers Jonathan Helton, Malia Hill and Jasmine Rocha, the brief outlines actions that could facilitate more homebuilding not only in Lahaina but throughout Maui.
Specifically, it urges lawmakers to:
>> Waive building permit fees for the rebuilding of destroyed housing or construction of new temporary housing.
>> Waive special management area fees and create an expedited process for approving SMA permits.
>> Allow nonconforming buildings to be reconstructed and nonconforming uses to be restored.
>> Emphasize existing laws that provide liability protections for the county and builders of temporary housing.
>> Grant nonprofit builders exemptions from certain county zoning and building rules through a “Yes, in God’s backyard” law, as urged by the 2024 Legislature’s House Concurrent Resolution 122.
>> Legalize more dwellings in residential zones.
In a foreword to the brief, Grassroot President and CEO Keli’i Akina says: “It is my hope that these detailed proposals will make it easier to build new housing and contribute to a revived Lahaina that respects the past and the visions of the area’s property owners for the future.
“The recovery process still has a long way to go,” he says, “but we owe it to our Maui ohana to stay engaged in those efforts, and we at the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii remain committed to helping in every way we can.”
To read Grassroot’s first policy recommendations in response to the Lahaina tragedy, issued in January, go here.