2006 Housing News

Council Over-rides Arakawa Veto – Passes Workforce Housing Ordinance
A new residential work force housing policy became law Tuesday after the Maui County Council unanimously overrode a veto by Mayor Alan Arakawa. "This is the win-win situation that we all strive for," said Housing Chairman Danny Mateo, who got in the last word at a special meeting held Tuesday in Council Chambers to override the mayor’s veto. Members voting to override included Mayor-elect Charmaine Tavares, who will be responsible for implementing the new law when she takes office Jan. 2. She was joined by Council Chairman Riki Hokama and Council Members Michelle Anderson, Bob Carroll, Jo Anne Johnson, Dain Kane and Mateo. Council Members Mike Molina and Joe Pontanilla were excused. 12.06.06

Mayor Arakawa vetos Workforce Housing Bill
As promised, Mayor Alan Arakawa vetoed a residential work force housing policy Friday that proposed requiring as much as 50 percent affordable units in future developments. 11.25.06

Council approves Workforce Housing policy
The Maui County Council passed the Residential Workforce Housing Policy that would set strict new requirements for developers to build affordable homes. Mayor Alan Arakawa planned to veto the bill, saying it would do more to hurt the housing market than help. But the council’s unanimous vote indicated more than enough support to override an Arakawa veto. Council members said the policy would be an important first step in providing more housing for local residents and said warnings about the policy just came from developers protecting their business interests. 11.04.06

Planning commission OK’s Dowling’s Keaka project
The pros outnumbered the cons 5-2 when the commission voted Tuesday on a special management area permit and special accessory use permit for the $220 million project down the coastline from the Maui Prince Hotel. 11.18.06

Project district OK’d for Kapalua Mauka
A deadlock in the Maui Planning Commission broke Tuesday afternoon, giving Maui Land & Pineapple Co. approval for its plans to build multimillion-dollar homes and a new private golf course at the Kapalua Resort. The development, which earlier this year had received project district zoning approval from the County Council, also was seeking a special management area use permit for off-site infrastructure improvements to support Kapalua Mauka. 11.18.06

Voters approve affordable housing fund
Maui voters adopted a mandate for Maui County to set aside 2 percent of real property tax revenues for an affordable housing fund in Tuesday’s county special election. Along with an affordable housing policy approved last week by the council, Council Housing Chairman Danny Mateo said the county will be moving to establish affordable housing for the community. 11.08.06

Sessions permit the people’s input on future of Maui’s land
About six months ago, Housing for the Local Person concluded that the County Council was hearing a lot from real estate developers through their lobbyists and from other interested parties but not directly from the common man and woman. HLP felt that it was paramount that the County Council heard from the common man and woman of Maui because they would be the primary beneficiaries of this new law. So we decided to have talk story sessions throughout Maui. 07.12.06