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Proposals to transform Hawaii’s current zoning laws would not even guarantee cheaper housing.

The measure would expand the power of Hawaii’s “insurers of last resort.”

Bissen laid out his plans to address the housing crisis seven months after the Aug. 8 fires killed at least 101 people and destroyed much of Lahaina and parts of Kula.

The agency needs to rapidly pick up the pace, but it must figure out how to overcome hurdles with inspections, pets, background checks and location.

The more than $200 million development would be located in a culturally and environmentally sensitive area.

Support for the two affordable housing projects was approved unanimously after several heated meetings about the selection committee’s process.

The Senate is expected to take up a measure that has raised safety concerns but could help with the housing crisis.

The separate FEMA and state projects will be built on one undeveloped property that had been slated for decades as a residential development.

Council approval is needed for the mayor to complete agreements with the state before the closing can occur on the $38 million property with 175 furnished guest rooms.

The debate is similar to what’s happening in other parts of the country that are also struggling to build affordable housing.