Economists in Hawaii warn that residents who survived the wildfire that destroyed much of the Maui community of Lahaina might not be able to afford to live there after it is rebuilt unless officials alter the zoning laws and make other changes.
“Market prices for this new housing are likely to far exceed the already high prices that existed in Lahaina before the fire. For renters, the old housing stock that was destroyed provided opportunities for reasonable rents,”
I think this is the issue. Poor folks live in older buildings. Can’t rebuild new old, run-down cheap neighborhoods.
Lahaina was a very old town with a lot of patchwork residences, back alley holes-in-the-wall, and grandfathered building code violations, all products of being a very remote land with limited access to materials and which didnt adopt the standard international building code until 2012. Lots of rental properties were backyard ohanas and platation-style and mid-century housing that had been subdivided and added onto, often without permits (because permitting is prohibitively expensive and takes months if not years to get approval on…this is a unique place that simply doesnt work like mainlanders think it does).
Not only can a lot of those residences not return because technically they never existed to begin with, but modern building codes would not allow them to be created again. The current market rate to build far exceeds the cost paid in the past.
Your questions didn’t upset me; they’re answered plainly in the article you’re responding to.
The issue isn’t people who own the property not being able to rebuild, the issue is people who were renting there likely being unable to afford to rent there after it’s rebuilt, because the prices were previously low due to the age of the buildings, and it’s almost entirely not zoned for multi-family dwellings.
If you aren’t even going to read the article you’re talking about, how are we supposed to interpret your questions, if not as being stupid?
Did they not have insurance? Shouldn’t they have ample money to rebuild? I don’t understand.
I think this is the issue. Poor folks live in older buildings. Can’t rebuild new old, run-down cheap neighborhoods.
Lahaina was a very old town with a lot of patchwork residences, back alley holes-in-the-wall, and grandfathered building code violations, all products of being a very remote land with limited access to materials and which didnt adopt the standard international building code until 2012. Lots of rental properties were backyard ohanas and platation-style and mid-century housing that had been subdivided and added onto, often without permits (because permitting is prohibitively expensive and takes months if not years to get approval on…this is a unique place that simply doesnt work like mainlanders think it does).
Not only can a lot of those residences not return because technically they never existed to begin with, but modern building codes would not allow them to be created again. The current market rate to build far exceeds the cost paid in the past.
Maybe you should read the article before you make stupid comments?
I’m so sorry my questions upset you. Have you tried not being butthurt?
Your questions didn’t upset me; they’re answered plainly in the article you’re responding to.
The issue isn’t people who own the property not being able to rebuild, the issue is people who were renting there likely being unable to afford to rent there after it’s rebuilt, because the prices were previously low due to the age of the buildings, and it’s almost entirely not zoned for multi-family dwellings.
If you aren’t even going to read the article you’re talking about, how are we supposed to interpret your questions, if not as being stupid?
Don’t feed the trolls.