The new law will give counties the power to limit number or short-term rentals and convert existing short-term rental units back into long-term residential housing.

The Hawaii legislature has passed a bill that will allow the state’s four counties to regulate short-term vacation rentals like Airbnb and VRBO. If signed by Gov. Josh Green, “SB2919 would grant each Hawaii county the authority to redefine zoning ordinances, including converting short-term rentals into long-term residential housing,” reports USA Today. The action comes in the face of a statewide housing crisis exacerbated by overtourism, foreign investors, and the wildfires on Maui last year.
Short-term rentals in the state, the majority of which are operating illegal, have contributed to rising house and rent costs, writes USA Today reporter Kathleen Wong, citing a report that found 5.5 percent of Hawaii’s housing units are short-term rentals (compared to just 3 percent in Las Vegas); that spikes to 15 percent in Maui. Wong reports that 3,000 displaced Maui residents are still living in hotels eight months after the fires. Perhaps that’s why, immediately following the passage of SB2919, the Maui Mayor Richard Bissan announced legislation that will eliminate more than 7,000 vacation units, more than half of the island’s inventory.
Hawaii and Maui are just the latest in a long line of governments, including Plano, Texas, and New York City, to pass legislation to rein in short-term rentals for reasons ranging from their impact on long-term, affordable housing availability to noise and other nuisance ordinance violations.
FULL STORY: Are Airbnbs banned in Hawaii? New law seeks to cracks down on short-term rentals.

New Florida Law Curbs HOA Power
The legislation seeks to cut down on ‘absurd’ citations for low-level violations.

New Tennessee Law Allows No-Cost Incentives for Affordable Housing
Local governments in the Volunteer State can now offer developers incentives like increased density, lower parking requirements, and priority permitting for affordable housing projects.

Planners’ Complicity in Excessive Traffic Deaths
Professor Wes Marshall’s provocatively-titled new book, "Killed by a Traffic Engineer," has stimulated fierce debates. Are his criticisms justified? Let’s examine the degree that traffic engineers contribute to avoidable traffic deaths.

Study: Housing Crisis is About Affordability, not Supply
New research shows that there is no overall shortage of housing units, but all U.S. metropolitan areas face a severe lack of affordable units for low-income renters.

Are Race-Based Lawsuits Affecting Community Lenders?
Shelterforce spoke with community lending leaders and experts about the current mood across the sector. What, if anything, are organizations doing to avoid becoming the next target of conservative activists?

New Park Promotes Community and Connectivity in Lewisville, Texas
The city of Lewisville just celebrated the opening of Glory Park/Parque la Gloria, helping to improve park access and the quality of life for residents.
City of Madera
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Borough of Carlisle
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Colorado Energy Office
Pima County Community College District
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