Appeals Court Sends Honuaʻula Phase II Back to Maui Planning Commission
A Hawaii appellate court ruled the Maui Planning Commission used the wrong legal standard when it approved Phase II of the Honuaʻula master-planned community in South Maui, ordering the commission to reconsider whether a supplemental environmental impact statement is required. The court upheld the commission on drainage, due process, and delegation issues, while workforce housing […]
Maui Council Delays Vote on Hotel Rezoning for ~2,500 Apartment Units
A Maui County Council committee recessed without voting on two resolutions that would rezone additional apartment-district properties into hotel districts, continuing the process of carving out exceptions to Bill 9’s vacation rental phase-out. The committee will resume testimony on August 19. The two paused resolutions (26-129 and 26-130) are part of a four-measure effort that […]
Appeals Court Sends Honua’ula Development Back for Environmental Review
Hawaii’s Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled that the Maui Planning Commission must reconsider whether significant changes to the Honua’ula development near Wailea require an updated environmental impact statement. The project’s affordable housing and market-rate unit counts have shifted multiple times since its original 2008 approval. The court found the Maui Planning Commission failed to properly […]
PACs Pour $900K+ Into Maui Races Where STR Policy Is Central Issue
Political action committees have directed more than $900,000 toward Maui mayoral and council races this election cycle, more than double any other county. The future of short-term vacation rentals has been a defining issue driving the political spending. Maui received roughly half of the $1.5 million PACs and super PACs spent on neighbor island county […]
Maui Council Advances Plan to Rezone ~2,056 Vacation Rental Units as Hotels
The Maui County Council voted to advance two resolutions that would move roughly 2,056 vacation rental units into new hotel zoning districts, allowing them to keep operating under Bill 9. The proposals must still pass through the Maui Planning Commission and receive additional approvals before taking effect. Two resolutions (26-110 and 26-111) passed the Council […]
Maui Now Faces Transport Restrictions to Curb Invasive Beetle Spread
The state Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity has approved new rules restricting the movement of plant materials to Maui and Lanai to slow the spread of the coconut rhinoceros beetle, which was recently detected again on Maui after a 2023 airport sighting. The invasive pest has now been found on every main Hawaiian island. Interisland […]
Maui Council Moves 2,000+ Apartment-Zone Vacation Rentals Toward Hotel Rezoning
The Maui County Council voted 7-1 to refer roughly 2,056 apartment-district vacation rental units to the Planning Commission for potential rezoning into new hotel districts, where short-term rental use would be explicitly permitted. The move could exempt these properties from Bill 9’s phase-out of STRs in apartment zones. The Council passed two resolutions referring ~2,056 […]
Arrest Made After Group Assault of California Visitors at Kaanapali Resort
A 20-year-old Makawao man was arrested on suspicion of felony assault following a July 17 incident in which a large group attacked seven California visitors at the Kaanapali Alii pool area. About 30 people were involved in the altercation, which left multiple victims with visible injuries. A suspect was arrested on felony assault charges in […]
Maui County Now Allows Up to 3 Residential Units Per Lot
Maui County adopted a new ordinance allowing up to two accessory dwelling units (ʻohana units) in addition to a primary residence on qualifying residentially zoned lots. The change applies countywide across Maui, Molokaʻi, and Lānaʻi, effective July 8, 2025. Qualifying residentially zoned properties may now have up to two accessory dwellings plus a primary home […]
Hawaii Supreme Court: Maui Must Retain Coastal Permit Oversight, Can’t Delegate to Developers
Multiple sources report that the Hawaii Supreme Court unanimously ruled this week that the Maui County Planning Commission cannot allow property owners or developers to self-determine whether their coastal projects require a permit. The court affirmed a lower court ruling striking down key portions of the commission’s 2024 amended rules for the Special Management Area, […]