Maui County is considering a resolution that would initiate rezoning of coastal condos within the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area to hotel zoning, potentially allowing them to continue operating as vacation rentals despite Bill 9’s phaseout timeline. The sea-level-rise designation complicates earlier plans to convert these apartment-zoned properties to resident housing.
- Resolution 26-129 would direct the Maui Planning Commission to consider zoning changes for specific coastal properties, enabling continued vacation rental use rather than forcing conversion to housing.
- The properties in question sit within Maui County’s 3.2-foot Sea Level Rise Exposure Area, making them poor candidates for permanent resident housing and prompting the county to reconsider their future use.
- Originally eight properties were named in the resolution — spanning Maalaea, Kihei, and West Maui — but the list has grown to include more than 20 complexes as the committee has reviewed additions.
- Unlike Bill 88’s process, which requires individual property owners to navigate their own applications and hearings, this resolution proposes county-initiated rezoning for the affected properties.
- Bill 9, signed in December, still sets phaseout deadlines of January 1, 2029 (West Maui) and January 1, 2031 (rest of Maui) for vacation rentals in apartment-zoned properties, making the resolution’s outcome significant for affected owners.
Source: Beatofhawaii
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