Back in July, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green used a novel interpretation of his emergency powers to suspend most restrictions on homebuilding, reasoning that the island's severe housing insufficiency was a crisis that justified snap, executive-led deregulation.
The governor's declaration of "yes in my backyard" (YIMBY) martial law proved controversial even with people who otherwise agreed that Hawaii's thicket of red tape was needlessly driving up housing costs. It is now being challenged by a wide coalition of advocacy groups who do not share the governor's view that Hawaii housing is overregulated.
