Lahaina rebuild and affordable housing funding
Maui County
Summary
Opponents tied the rezoning fight to Maui's post-fire housing crisis: fire survivors face Hale Ola'a program endings, rising rent burdens, and units being converted to visitor use. Advocates pushed rent stabilization and warned that chipping away at Bill 9 breeds distrust in county government.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 5
- Last 30 days
- 0
Last discussed Aug 19, 2026.
Impact analysis
Testimony cited median-income households unable to cover mortgage, HOA, insurance, and utility costs exceeding $4,900 per month at shoreline condos, and fire-survivor housing programs ending August 31.
Local families and fire survivors gain if units return to long-term housing; opponents of rezoning say community trust in government is also at stake.
Short-term rental owners and tourism-dependent workers bear income and asset losses under the phaseout.
Mentions & discussions (5)
Housing and Land Use Committee (2025-2027) — August 19, 2026
Opponents tied the rezoning fight to Maui's post-fire housing crisis: fire survivors face Hale Ola'a program endings, rising rent burdens, and units being converted to visitor use. Advocates pushed rent stabilization and warned that chipping away at Bill 9 breeds distrust in county government.
Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee (2025-2027) — August 5, 2026
More than 1,100 households are still in temporary housing, and permanent multifamily rebuilds won't come online until 2029-2030. The County takes over the Disaster Case Management Program from the State in August and is launching a Disaster Interim Housing Program with rental assistance to bridge the gap without forcing people out too fast.
Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee (2025-2027) — April 17, 2026
Recovery groups asked for $500,000 to keep disaster case management and gap funding going, describing families stuck with faulty contractors and shortfalls of $200,000-$500,000 per home. Council members asked how to warn the public about bad contractors.
Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee (2025-2027) — March 18, 2026
Councilmembers pressed the recovery office on how the $1.6 billion in federal recovery money is being spent — how many of the roughly 1,000 units originally planned serve fire victims, whether funds avoid duplication with FEMA, and why the council wasn't consulted on infrastructure project selections.
Council of the County of Maui — January 23, 2026
Several budget bills would steer money to Lahaina recovery housing — the Komohana Hale Apartments rebuild and a $5 million grant to Lahaina Community Land Trust — plus a bill on factory-built housing in the burn zone.
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