ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ

It’s been nearly 18 years since the developer began planning Waikapu Country Town. With the final bureaucratic hurdles now cleared, a new deal with the county could spur construction.

Hawaii Sen. Stanley Chang doesn’t care if people roll their eyes when he talks about housing solutions. He just wants action.

But for renters, the picture is not much rosier.

The money can go toward mortgage coverage, property taxes, utility payments, homeowners association fees and other expenses.

Peter Savio has had a long career advocating for locally owned affordable housing.

The proposal comes as Honolulu is struggling to provide affordable housing on an island where the median price for a home rose above $1 million earlier this year.

Critics say the Blangiardi administration’s effort to control illegal rentals could cost legal short-term operators a bundle in higher taxes and fees. 

A Honolulu City Council decision in 1989 paved the way for vacation rentals in Makaha decades later. 

The $4.6 million project took two years to complete because of Covid-19 delays. The first residents are due to move in next month.

The trendy Honolulu neighborhood is a designated special “community development district.” But critics say it has done little to ease the island’s affordable housing crisis.