Twice last month the Intermediate Court of Appeals has found in favor of the County of Kauaʻi’s law governing the renewal of non-conforming permits to operate transient vacation rentals outside of designated resort zones. In one case, it reversed the … Continued
Vacation Rentals on Ag Land: The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court has issued its decision in a long-festering dispute over vacation rentals of houses built in the state Agricultural land use district. They’re not allowed, the court ruled, upholding the finding of … Continued
Last month’s meeting of the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council, an agency of the federal government that has no other source of funds than the U.S. taxpayer, began this way: William Sword, a council member from American Samoa and chair … Continued
Last May, the state Land Use Commission received an update on plans to develop about 1,000 houses on land near Lahaina, Maui. The LUC had first approved a project in this area three decades ago. In the intervening decades, ownership … Continued
What is happening with the Launiupoko Irrigation Company? To judge from its most recent financial statements provided to the Public Utilities Commission, the company seems to have done little more than collect payments from customers and salt away most of … Continued
In the summer of 2020, members of Kiaʻi Kauaula met with an archaeologist with Scientific Consulting Services. SCS had been retained by West Maui Land Construction to oversee excavation it was undertaking to install irrigation lines for Launiupoko Irrigation Company … Continued
Seven and a half years ago, on February 24, 2017, the then-chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Suzanne Case, signed off on an exemption notification. This memorialized her agreement with Department of Land and Natural Resources’ staff … Continued
Two conflicting visions for a 70-acre site in Holualoa, on the west side of the Big Island, were brought before the Hawaiʻi County Council for consideration last month. On August 7, the council approved a resolution to authorize negotiations for … Continued
Some 68 acres of land in the West Hawaiʻi district of North Kona have become the battleground between two dueling visions for the future of the site. One of them sees the area, first zoned for housing forty years ago, … Continued
One of the strongest arguments for the Kona Vistas development has been that it will bring much needed housing at the mid-level range of affordability. A certain fraction of the planned 450 or so multi-family units will need to meet … Continued