Hawaii
Last-ditch effort afoot to kill housing bill aimed at boosting density in residential areas
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A last-ditch effort is underway to kill a bill on track to become law that supporters say is meant to tackle Hawaii’s housing crisis.
But opponents include residents and a top city lawmaker.
In Hawaii, some apartment buildings can legally have hundreds of residential units in them, but some buildings on residentially zoned lots are only allowed one or two.
A bill making its way through the state Legislature could increase that. But some are worried it could change their neighborhoods forever.
The current language in SB3202 says it will “allow for at least two additional dwelling units, which shall be considered accessory to any dwelling unit or residential unit duly permitted by ordinance.”
But some of the bill’s critics say it will also allow for lots to be split so people can essentially double dip on the new changes.
Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters has spent years fighting against monster homes and says it’s a step backwards.
“What the bill does is, it takes a normal size lot and allows the owner to split it into pieces,” said Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters.
“Up to 2,000 square feet each lot and you can put three houses on them.”
State Rep. Luke Evslin of Kauai introduced the House version of the bill.
“The real intention here is just to make it as easy as possible for people to have multi-generational households,” said Evslin. “We made that so difficult for people to have multigenerational households that it is pushing people out of Hawaii.”
The bill seems to be getting backing by many other state lawmakers including the executive director of the non-profit Housing Hawai’i’s Future.
“This bill is needed because large homes on large lots are unaffordable,” said Sterling Higa, with the non-profit. “So instead of having a huge lot with a big home on it, what if you had three or potential four smaller homes that are going to be more affordable for every day people.”
Chuck Prentiss is a retired urban planner who worked decades for the city before retiring and shares concerns about how it could change neighborhoods.
“It would look different because, you would have a greater density and it would look more like Chinatown than a suburban community,” said Prentiss.
But those in favor are pushing back saying it’s all about allowing more opportunity to own a home in Hawaii
“A monster home is often 10-15 illegal units within a massive building. This doesn’t allow any of it,” said Evslin. Supporters say even if the bill get approved by the state legislature, land owners would still need to get a new permit approved by their county in order to be able to take advantage of the new law.
Copyright 2024 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
The Sony Open in Hawaii has the honors of being the kickoff event to the 2026 PGA Tour season after the cancellation of The Sentry at Kapalua this season.
Instead of Maui, the Tour debuts in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Jan. 15-18, at the Seth Raynor-designed Waialae Country Club, where Nick Taylor prevailed in a playoff over Nico Echavarria last year.
Among the changes this season is the field size, which was reduced from 144 to 120, and, there is no longer is a Monday qualifier offering four spots. Will that help with pace of play? Stay tuned.
The field includes the following notables in addition to Taylor and Echavarria: Daniel Berger, Keegan Bradley, Michael Brennan, Corey Conners, Tony Finau, Chris Gotterup, Brian Harman, Russell Henley, Billy Horschel, Robert MacIntyre, Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth, Sahith Theegala, Gary Woodland and 62-year-old Vijay Singh.
Here’s the full field for the Sony Open, which will be live on Golf Channel all four days as well as NBC with early-round coverage on Saturday and Sunday.
This year’s Sony purse is $9.1 million and the winner also will receive 500 FedEx Cup points.
HAWAII ISLAND (HawaiiNewsNow) – The County of Hawaii Department of Parks and Recreation is now accepting applications for temporary positions in its 2026 Summer Fun program.
The two positions available are Activity Aide I ($17.50 per hour) and Activity Aide II ($19 per hour).
To be considered for employment, applicants must possess a valid first-aid certification, attend mandatory training June 2–5, and be available to work June 8–July 17.
Applications are available online on the Parks and Recreation website, and must be submitted to the Recreation Division Office at 799 Pi‘ilani St., Hilo, HI 96720, postmarked by Saturday, Feb. 28.
For more information, call the Recreation Division Office at (808) 961-8740.
Copyright 2026 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.
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