#Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins

The Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee launched its first day of fiscal year 2027 deliberations on Wednesday in Council Chambers, beginning with an overview from the Department of Finance.

The Maui Planning Commission called for an environmental impact review for the proposed 1,608-unit Hoʻonani Village development in Puʻunēnē, and developers have delivered a draft study with public comments due May 7. The state Office of Planning and Sustainable Development published the three-volume document Monday, initiating a 45-day public review period for the project planned […]

The Maui County Council voted 8-0 Friday to confirm Jacky Takakura as planning director and 6-2 to appoint Margaret Willis as director of the Department of Human Concerns.

The Maui County Council voted 8-0 this morning to approve a reduced $12 million emergency appropriation to fund ongoing repair efforts and rising overtime costs from what is now being called March Kona Low Storm No. 1.

Laʻakea Village will host a community town hall meeting March 31 to share progress on a planned 22-unit affordable housing development in Pāʻia designed for adults with disabilities and support staff. The meeting will run from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. at the village site at 639 Baldwin Ave. Organizers said the session will provide updates […]

East Maui residents can review government spending plans and environmental threats when the Haʻikū Community Association hosts its first meeting of the year from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Haʻikū Community Center. Maui County Council Members Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins and Shane Sinenci are scheduled to attend. Uʻu-Hodgins holds the Makawao-Haʻikū-Pāʻia residency area seat, and […]

Aloha House staff, board members and supporters gathered Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new dormitory on the Makawao campus. The new structure adds 12 beds to the facility’s existing 48 beds, increasing the program’s capacity by 25%. The agency provides residential substance use treatment programs, including medically […]

The Maui Planning Commission unanimously recommended Tuesday that the Maui County Council defer action on the 1,608-unit Hoʻonani Village project near Kahului Airport until a draft environmental impact statement is published.

Maui County Council members voted 8-1 Wednesday to move forward with a proposal to create new hotel zoning districts for thousands of vacation rentals, a measure designed to soften the economic blow of the county’s controversial short-term rental phase-out. The approval of Resolution 25-230 refers a proposed bill to the Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi planning […]

The Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee on Monday deferred action on the creation of new hotel zoning districts following an executive session that lasted over an hour.

The Maui County Council will consider a reorganization of its leadership and committee chairs during a special meeting at 9 a.m. Monday in the Council Chambers.

Mayor Richard Bissen today signed Bill 9 into law after Maui County Council approved the measure on second and final reading, marking what he calls “a historic step toward restoring housing availability for residents” and “realigning zoning policy with its original residential purpose.”

The Maui County Council members passed Bill 9 on second and final reading Monday by the same 5-3 vote that advanced the controversial measure earlier this month. Later Monday, Mayor Richard Bissen signed the bill into law. Bissen introduced the measure to phase out transient vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts in May 2024. While the […]

The Maui County Council passed the contentious Bill 9 on first reading Monday, advancing a measure that would phase out thousands of transient vacation rentals currently operating in apartment-zoned districts, mostly in South and West Maui. The measure passed by a vote of 5-3 following a daylong meeting that included hours of emotional public testimony […]

The Maui County Council failed to reach a majority decision Tuesday afternoon in appointing a successor to the late Council Member Natalie “Tasha” Kama, effectively handing the selection authority to Mayor Richard Bissen.

Maui County faces a disproportionately high rate of ocean drowning fatalities, driven largely by the high number of visitors lured by the ocean’s beauty but unprepared for its hidden dangers.

The Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee deferred action Thursday on recommendations for phasing out thousands of apartment-zoned short-term vacation rentals, shifting its focus instead to a proposal that would allow more than 4,500 current vacation rental units to continue operating legally. The committee plans to advance legislation to establish H-3 and H-4 hotel zoning […]

The Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee recessed a discussion Wednesday after a brief deliberation on the path forward for Bill 9, which aims to phase out thousands of short-term rentals in apartment-zoned districts to free up housing for residents.

Mayor Richard Bissen urged Maui County Council members to pass Bill 9, which would phase out apartment district properties operating as transient vacation rentals, arguing the move is critical to addressing direly needed long-term housing for residents.

Lahaina Strong, a community group that arose in the wake of the Lahaina wildfire disaster, is calling for the Maui County Council to take expeditious action on Bill 9, which would phase out short-term vacation rentals in apartment-zoned districts. “We are still awaiting confirmation of dates for the two full Council hearings required before Bill […]