HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A bill aimed at cracking down on vacant homes on Oahu by increasing taxes is expected to face a final vote at the Honolulu City Council in the coming weeks.

It comes after the proposal has been revised several times because of questions and concerns from the community.

Bill 46 would add an incremental 3% yearly tax for vacant dwellings on a property that would be rolled out over three years.

Some owners could end up paying tens of thousands of dollars more in property taxes, but a recent change to the measure adds exemptions for Hawaii residents.

The 2020 U.S. Census reported roughly 35,000 unoccupied housing units on Oahu.

Council Chair Tommy Waters, who introduced the bill, said it’s meant to get people to rent out or otherwise free up their unused units.

Under the measure’s current language, the higher tax would be placed on homes that are unoccupied for six months.

“We’re trying to get creative to figure out how we can get our local people to stay here. We can’t build our way out of this solution,” said Waters.

This week, the council’s budget committee narrowly passed the bill in a 3 to 2 vote after making several changes.

One change would allow Hawaii residents to request an exemption for a second home they own.

To reduce administrative costs that would likely come with a new tax, the bill proposed it to operate under the already running property tax system by adding a new class.

There’s also changes to the bill’s language to comply with both with state and federal law to try and avoid potential lawsuits.

But still some residents still believe it will do more harm than good.

“Trying to enforce this and make sure that it’s equitable is going to be a nightmare,” said Hawaii Kai resident Natalie Iwasa.

“My other concern about this is the landlords, they obviously have a stake in this but if they miss a deadline, it is no skin on their backs you know why? Because they will increase the rent for people like me and other families who cannot afford a home,” she added.

But younger constituents seem to support the proposal.

“This is not about punishing anyone. It is about making housing accessible to the people who call Hawaii their home,” said one testifier.

Bill 46 could still undergo even more revisions.

The bill is expected to go for a final vote on December 11, where public input will also be taken.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – If you’re headed to Kaua’i and looking for a unique farm-to-table experience, Hualani‘s at Timbers Kaua’i serves creative dishes and drinks made with local ingredients and hyper seasonal produce grown on their farm at Hokuala.

Alex Amorin, executive chef at Hualani‘s, and Cory Dotario, Timbers food and beverage director, joined HNN’s Sunrise to talk about their fresh, sustainable philosophy and upcoming Ha’aheo o Kauaʻi events, meaning “pride of Kauai” because talent and ingredients are sourced from the Garden Isle.

Among their signatures: honeycomb and goat cheese salad with a lemon vinaigrette (tapping into fall citrus season on their farm and honey from their own apiary) and a Barrel Aged Old Fashioned using their signature “Nagao of Never” bourbon named after a longtime employee, David Nagao, as a way to usher in the holiday season.

Ha’aheo o Kauaʻi lets guests enjoy a hands-on harvesting experience at The Farm at Hokuala and learn about Kauai produce, seafood and meats, and wine pairings.

Amorin talked about the farm’s organic and biodynamic practices.

“There’s a nuanced beauty to selecting produce in its prime seasonality. The delicate flavor profiles take artistry to celebrate and enhance as the star of the plate. Similar to the artistry of working with watercolors and the delicate skillset that’s involved with mixing paint colors, working with vegetable-forward dishes takes the same approach and it’s ingredients sourced at peak ripeness that allow me to create culinary works of art,” said Amorin, an avid waterman and fisherman.

The next Ha’aheo o Kauaʻi farm-to-table dinner is on December 19 and can be booked on Open Table or by calling (808) 320-7399.

For more information, visit timberskauai.com/eat-drink/hualanis or follow on Instagram @timberskauai.

Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

Playing at the speed of blur, the 10th-ranked North Carolina basketball team ran away to an 87-69 victory over Hawaii in Friday’s nationally televised game in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

A crowd of 8,377 saw the Tar Heels’ starting guards combine for 48 points and lead the charge into the lane.

The Tar Heels (3-1) colored the paint Carolina Blue, outscoring the ’Bows 26-6 at the rim in the second half. The Tar Heels also constructed a 19-1 advantage in fast-break points.

“One of the things we talked about was attacking the basket,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Penetration. We felt like our guards could get to the rim any time they wanted to. We put a lot of pressure on the rim.”

The ’Bows (4-1) went with three-guard lineups and even used a sliding 2-3 zone to slow lane entries.

“Kind of the theme was easy to say, hard to do,” UH coach Eran Ganot said of creating the “wall” to defend the paint from UNC’s driving guards.

All-America guard R.J. Davis led the Tar Heels with 18 points. Elliot Cadeau, who was limited to six first-half minutes because of early foul trouble, finished with 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting. Sean Trimble contributed 13 points.

“We have good guards, good guards that compete on both sides of the floor,” Hubert Davis said.

Ganot noted the Tar Heels were able to parlay turnovers and UH misses into extremely fast turnarounds the other way.

“You saw the power of what they do when they get a miss or a turnover,” Ganot said. “They dominated us at the rim versus what we were doing at the rim.”

The ’Bows controlled the boards, building a 40-27 advantage, including 15-5 off the offensive glass.

Half of center Tanner Christensen’s 10 rebounds were grabbed off missed UH shots. Gytis Nemeiksa came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds and score a team-high 16 points. Nemeiksa and reserve wing Akira Jacobs each buried three 3s.

“You beat a team 13 on the boards — (against) a really good rebounding program — you put yourself in position,” Ganot said.

The Tar Heels used a 10-0 run to take a 13-2 lead with 13:41 left in the first half.

Spurred by a crowd of white shirts — some emblazoned with “Save Craig” in honor of recently fired athletic director Craig Angelos — the ’Bows cut a once 11-point deficit to 35-32 when Ryan Rapp pump-faked then scored on a floater with 1:16 left in the first half.

But R.J. Davis shuffled at the top of the key, then buried a 3 to extend the Tar Heels’ lead to 38-32.

UH guard Tom Beattie answered with a layup with 38.5 seconds to play. But then Ian Jackson got the ball on the right wing and swished a 3 for a 41-34 lead to complete the first-half scoring.

Christensen’s pivot-pivot-pivot dunk opened the scoring for UH in the second half. But the Tar Heels reeled off 11 unanswered points to make it 52-36 with 17:15 to play. The ’Bows would not get under double digits the rest of the way.

“Start of the game, start of the second half, really brutal,” Ganot said. “Maybe that’s what our team needs to go through. I do believe that. And as we have some of these new faces, we had a lot of lapses in possessions, disorganization. They took advantage of us.”

The Tar Heels’ drives also created free-throw opportunities. The Tar Heels hit 12 of 14 from the line in the first half, 26 of 34 overall. The ’Bows were 17-for-24 on free throws.

“Give them credit,” Ganot said. “Some bright spots we can build off of. But obviously, when we were good, we’re good, and when we were bad, we’re really bad. Good teams take advantage of that.”

Ganot also indicated the ’Bows would not settle for fighting the good fight.

“We’re not going to be OK with this,” Ganot said. “We’re not going to be OK with some of the bright spots. It’s not what we do.”