Hawaii · LIHTC · Affordable housing
Hawaii's housing documents are public and almost unreadable. The Qualified Allocation Plan runs past 200 pages of PDF. The compliance manuals come in two files. HHFDC's board approves projects every month in packets nobody opens, and the terms of a DURF loan are not published at all. This site works through those documents and writes down what they say — from the perspective of someone who files against them.
HRS §201H-38 was rewritten in 2024, 2025 and again in July 2026. Most published guides describe a version that no longer exists. The current statute, the five routes it now supports, and the timelines projects actually run.
HHFDC has released nothing about a 2027 Consolidated Application round, and its board was told in July that QAP revisions now underway land in 2028. The "FY 2027 Consolidated Application" currently open is a different program. Here is the actual state of play, and what to do with the gap.
OBBBA cut the bond financing test for 4% LIHTC from 50% to 25% of aggregate basis. In Hawaii, which draws the small-state minimum on private activity bonds, that roughly doubles how far the annual cap stretches — and exposes what the real constraint was all along.
The 2025 OBBBA changes, the 25% bond test, per-capita credit ceilings, and what they mean for deals underwritten in Hawaii.
Hawaii LIHTC & Financing1HHFDC programs read closely: the QAP, the Consolidated Application, DURF, RHRF, Hula Mae bonds, and compliance monitoring.
Entitlement & 201H1Hawaii's affordable housing fast track, the county-by-county reality of getting a project approved, and the exemptions that matter.
Condo, AOAO & Insurance0Master policy shortfalls, maintenance fees, special assessments, and why lenders walk away from underinsured buildings.
Hawaii Housing Policy0Legislation, funding rounds, and agency decisions — including what HHFDC’s board actually approved each month.
ADUs & Small-Scale Housing0Act 39, the ohana-unit versus ADU problem in Honolulu, and the county rules that have not caught up.
Buying & Owning in Hawaii0Leasehold versus fee simple, what an AMI figure actually buys, down payment assistance, property tax exemptions, and the paperwork nobody explains.
Project Case Studies0Single projects followed through the record — application to award to permit to certificate of occupancy — including projects I work on, disclosed as such.
Maui Recovery0Permitting, interim housing, and the rebuild as the numbers actually report it.