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The county manager said the “visioning process” for the new department was put on hold when response and recovery efforts for the Aug. 8 fires took priority.

The governor says sufficient housing has been secured for fire survivors but his administration still plans to crack down on illegal rentals.

Randy Dadez says the agency moved his family into a house that Maui County’s map clearly shows lacks clean water.

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.

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

The Hawaii Senate unanimously passed a bill to turn over much of West Maui to the Hawaii Community Development Authority, despite growing opposition to the idea.

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.