Erin Nolan

Beacon, Hawaii, New Jersey, Salem

Reporting on Maui County for @CivilBeat | Previously: @NYTimes @RecordOnline, @SalemNews, @EagleTrib and more | Send tips to [email protected]

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Articles

Maui Takes 1st Steps Toward Restoring Historic Royal Site In Lahaina

1 day ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

Moku’ulu, the royal compound where Native Hawaiian nobility resided for centuries, is buried beneath the burned remnants of a ballpark. Maui County officials hope to restore the Lahaina landmark over the next several years. More than a year after the governor threw his support behind efforts to restore one of the most culturally significant sites in Lahaina, the county has begun setting plans in motion — albeit slowly.
Maui Council Funds Affordable Housing, New Program To Help Working Poor

1 week ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

Council members at first wanted to trim the budget. Instead they added programs to help residents struggling to make ends meet. When Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen outlined his proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, some council members argued that the county had to find ways to reduce spending. Nearly two months later, the latest version of the budget is actually larger.
For Immigrants After Lahaina Wildfire, Survival Is A ‘Daily Challenge’

3 weeks ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

A new survey shows that many immigrants are struggling with housing, jobs and stress after the 2023 fire. Immigrants on Maui who survived the 2023 Lahaina fire are still dealing with stress, depression, unstable housing and jobs that don’t pay enough for necessities, according to a blog post published by the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaiʻi and the local nonprofit Roots Reborn.
Lahaina Wildfire Debris Heading To Final Central Maui Site In June

3 weeks ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

Officials say they have worked to minimize traffic and address health concerns. But a December deadline for removal looms large. Starting June 1 and continuing all day, every day, for five months, up to 50 tractor-trailers will pull up to a temporary landfill in Olowalu to be loaded with the ash and debris from the Lahaina wildfire.
Maui Fire Survivors Are Moving Again As FEMA Starts Charging Rent

1 month ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is trying to reduce the load on the island’s housing stock but the continual need to relocate is frustrating residents. Some Maui fire survivors are finding themselves uprooted again even as the Federal Emergency Management Agency starts collecting rent from nearly 1,300 households staying in homes provided through its direct housing program.
State Lawmakers Are Removing A Hurdle To Rebuild Lahaina. Will It Matter?

1 month ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

The Legislature is exempting properties destroyed in a disaster from certain permitting requirements to speed up recovery efforts, but not everyone can take advantage of it. More than 20 months after wildfires razed most of Lahaina, nearly 1,400 residential lots have been cleared of debris but only nine homes have been rebuilt, according to data from 4Leaf, the California-based contractor the county hired last year to expedite its permitting process.
Maui Council To Take Up Bill Phasing Out Vacation Rentals This Summer

2 months ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

The council’s housing committee chair says she’ll put it on the agenda after county budget deliberations. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen’s plan to convert thousands of temporary vacation rentals into long-term housing for locals may start moving forward again as soon as next month.
Maui County Council Digs Into The Mayor's $1.5 Billion Spending Plan

2 months ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

Some members are concerned about the high level of county job vacancies. The Maui County Council has begun scrutinizing Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed $1.51 billion budget for next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The number of county job vacancies has emerged as an early issue for some members, including Council Chair Alice Lee. “I don’t see why we need a budget that high, because we have over 600 vacancies in the county,” she said during a budget hearing Tuesday.
Study: Maui Should Be Cautious In Phasing Out Vacation Rentals

2 months ago | civilbeat.org | Erin Nolan

Economists lay out the good and the bad of the mayor’s proposal to convert thousands of short-term units into long-term housing. Maui Mayor Richard Bissen’s plan to convert several thousand vacation rentals into long-term housing could lower housing costs and improve affordability in Maui County, according to a study unveiled Monday by the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization.
Study: Maui Should Be Cautious In Phasing Out Vacation Rentals

2 months ago | flipboard.com | Erin Nolan

Whether in the hit show Yellowstone or the cartoon South Park, luxury developments have become so homogenous around the world that pop culture has …