From Darla Palmer-Ellingson, darla@360greenliving.com
Aloha, I'd like to bring your awareness to Housing related projects that the County of Maui paid for but never received or utilized, that would be helpful to resolving fire related and other lack of housing issues, that this committee may want to investigate further.
Some Council members from the last administration may remember discussing and seeing presentations brought to you by the Climate action advisory committee, to build a manufacturing facility on island to build net zero energy modular homes at the workforce affordable price range. The manufacturing facility would also be a net zero energy/minimal waste facility, create over 250 ongoing jobs, support the existing construction industry, and provide training for the construction industry.
The Council voted and mayor signed off on funding a position to do a request for interest on the net zero housing facility. There were three companies interested. The position was hired, but the person did not work on the project. After the fire, one of largest companies reached out, and said with basics put in place, such a facility could be up and running in a year. Meanwhile, homes could be shipped from their mainland facility.
The County also paid for work from several contractors under the climate action and resiliency plan never utilized.
This included a county-wide vulnerability assessment, a resilient housing guide and an ALICE heat map. For reference Alice is Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and represents the increasing number of individuals and families who work, but are unable to meet their basic needs, including food, child care, housing, health care and transportation.
I would encourage the County to reach out to other communities that are rebuilding communities after devastating fires. In conversations with some of my work counterparts in sustainability, there are legal executable ways to prevent gentrification of Lahaina through developer land grab, and other problems.
Lessons from other areas are good information, but our community is unique. Community needs input, collaboration and information all along the way in the project. We also need some good community information about what smart development and resilient housing really means- these things can still protect and embed the character and culture of Lahaina, and the needs of residents, while resolving resiliency issue due to climate change related heat and storms.
Finally, having a property assessment background, I am disturbed by companies and unsanctioned tiny home villages popping up that have safety, sanitation and code issues. We don't want to re-traumatize anyone in the community, but rather put together real, affordable short and long-term solutions that fit with the character and history of Maui communities.
I don’t understand why Tasha thinks the County can come up with its own plan when the Emergency Proclamation has unlawfully turned the Council into a puppet government. Governor can overrule anything you do.
The Council should go on record that they was the laws fully restored so their actions matter.
I talked to Cassandra the Exec of Ana Hale O Maui about what needs to happen in order to create truly affordable housing in the short term. There is no magic wand to fix all of our needs. It’s all hands on deck. I would like to promote;
1. Working together
2. Revise zoning & building code which needs to be simple. When it’s complicated it adds to the length of time.
3. One stop shop for permits. Use to to be permits could happen in a day now it’s a year for NHOM.
4. A lot of housing that burned down should have a shortcut to permitting since those lots were approved before.
5. Cassandra has 10 tiny homes she wants to build now but needs to be able to know if she can build them or not. She isn’t getting enough feedback from County members.
6. Please provide 1% more of agriculture land for affordable housing development.
Please reach out to Cassandra the Executive Director of Na Hale O Maui. I feel NHOM is the best non for profit in the state that is truly producing affordable homes. I was the first person who bought a house from them. It went for about 650,000 roughly 40 years ago brand new. Went into foreclosure and they bought it from the bank for 375,000. They put in 20 thousand so it was turned key ready to g then sold it to me for 275,000. I won’t a 4 bedroom, three bath, two story, two car garage house for 1,319.00 a month. That’s left than a one bedroom apartment. Their ability to do this is entirely on the amount of money that the County provides them from the Affordable County fund.
If Council members aren’t working with NHOM they aren’t serious about delivering affordable housing.
Last thing, if Governor Green actually cared about the people he would reinstate the suspended laws in his Emergency Proclamation and amend it to provide a moratorium on foreclosures, evictions, rent increases and a call for subsidized rentals. But he has no interest in helping the community like this in the short term. He will be a one term Governor. Distance yourselves from him and his unlawful actions.
Create a new APARTMENT zoning that does not include condominiums, as MF does. This could increase the inventory of long term rentals without escalating the price per unit.
From Darla Palmer-Ellingson, darla@360greenliving.com
Aloha, I'd like to bring your awareness to Housing related projects that the County of Maui paid for but never received or utilized, that would be helpful to resolving fire related and other lack of housing issues, that this committee may want to investigate further.
Some Council members from the last administration may remember discussing and seeing presentations brought to you by the Climate action advisory committee, to build a manufacturing facility on island to build net zero energy modular homes at the workforce affordable price range. The manufacturing facility would also be a net zero energy/minimal waste facility, create over 250 ongoing jobs, support the existing construction industry, and provide training for the construction industry.
The Council voted and mayor signed off on funding a position to do a request for interest on the net zero housing facility. There were three companies interested. The position was hired, but the person did not work on the project. After the fire, one of largest companies reached out, and said with basics put in place, such a facility could be up and running in a year. Meanwhile, homes could be shipped from their mainland facility.
The County also paid for work from several contractors under the climate action and resiliency plan never utilized.
This included a county-wide vulnerability assessment, a resilient housing guide and an ALICE heat map. For reference Alice is Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, and represents the increasing number of individuals and families who work, but are unable to meet their basic needs, including food, child care, housing, health care and transportation.
I would encourage the County to reach out to other communities that are rebuilding communities after devastating fires. In conversations with some of my work counterparts in sustainability, there are legal executable ways to prevent gentrification of Lahaina through developer land grab, and other problems.
Lessons from other areas are good information, but our community is unique. Community needs input, collaboration and information all along the way in the project. We also need some good community information about what smart development and resilient housing really means- these things can still protect and embed the character and culture of Lahaina, and the needs of residents, while resolving resiliency issue due to climate change related heat and storms.
Finally, having a property assessment background, I am disturbed by companies and unsanctioned tiny home villages popping up that have safety, sanitation and code issues. We don't want to re-traumatize anyone in the community, but rather put together real, affordable short and long-term solutions that fit with the character and history of Maui communities.
Aloha,
I don’t understand why Tasha thinks the County can come up with its own plan when the Emergency Proclamation has unlawfully turned the Council into a puppet government. Governor can overrule anything you do.
The Council should go on record that they was the laws fully restored so their actions matter.
I talked to Cassandra the Exec of Ana Hale O Maui about what needs to happen in order to create truly affordable housing in the short term. There is no magic wand to fix all of our needs. It’s all hands on deck. I would like to promote;
1. Working together
2. Revise zoning & building code which needs to be simple. When it’s complicated it adds to the length of time.
3. One stop shop for permits. Use to to be permits could happen in a day now it’s a year for NHOM.
4. A lot of housing that burned down should have a shortcut to permitting since those lots were approved before.
5. Cassandra has 10 tiny homes she wants to build now but needs to be able to know if she can build them or not. She isn’t getting enough feedback from County members.
6. Please provide 1% more of agriculture land for affordable housing development.
Please reach out to Cassandra the Executive Director of Na Hale O Maui. I feel NHOM is the best non for profit in the state that is truly producing affordable homes. I was the first person who bought a house from them. It went for about 650,000 roughly 40 years ago brand new. Went into foreclosure and they bought it from the bank for 375,000. They put in 20 thousand so it was turned key ready to g then sold it to me for 275,000. I won’t a 4 bedroom, three bath, two story, two car garage house for 1,319.00 a month. That’s left than a one bedroom apartment. Their ability to do this is entirely on the amount of money that the County provides them from the Affordable County fund.
If Council members aren’t working with NHOM they aren’t serious about delivering affordable housing.
Last thing, if Governor Green actually cared about the people he would reinstate the suspended laws in his Emergency Proclamation and amend it to provide a moratorium on foreclosures, evictions, rent increases and a call for subsidized rentals. But he has no interest in helping the community like this in the short term. He will be a one term Governor. Distance yourselves from him and his unlawful actions.
Kind Regards,
Justin Hughey
Create a new APARTMENT zoning that does not include condominiums, as MF does. This could increase the inventory of long term rentals without escalating the price per unit.