Maui Planning Commission Backs Denying Nearly All STR Hotel-Zone Exemptions
The Maui Planning Commission voted 6-2 to recommend denying hotel-zoning exemptions for 43 of 48 vacation rental properties seeking to escape Bill 9’s phase-out, endorsing exemptions for only about 397 units out of roughly 3,400 that had been considered. The full Maui County Council must still make a final decision. Bill 9, passed in December […]
Maui County Seeks Public Input on First SMA Boundary Review Since 1970s
The Maui County Planning Department is holding five public meetings across the island to gather community input on redrawing the Special Management Area boundary, which hasn’t been reassessed since the 1970s. The review aims to modernize the boundary based on climate, environmental, and cultural factors while reducing permitting burdens. Five in-person meetings are scheduled island-wide […]
Maui County Seeks Public Input on First SMA Boundary Review Since 1970s
The Maui County Planning Department is holding five public meetings across the island to gather input on redrawing the Special Management Area boundary, which hasn’t been updated since the 1970s. The review aims to balance environmental protection with reducing permitting burdens on residents and the county. Five community meetings are scheduled island-wide between September 23 […]
Maui Mayoral Race Puts STR Phase-Out and Water Policy in Spotlight
Mayor Bissen and challenger Sugimura are heading to a November general election with sharply different views on Bill 9, which phases out thousands of short-term rentals. The makeup of the County Council — which will influence STR and water policy — is also being decided in the same election. Mayor Bissen supports Bill 9, already […]
Maui Council Candidates Clash on Tourism, Development, and Water at Kula Forum
Twelve of 14 candidates in seven contested Maui County Council races debated key issues at a Kula forum ahead of the November 3 election. Topics included visitor accommodation development, water scarcity, and affordable housing. The November 3 election could shift the council’s ideological balance, with two open seats vacated by retiring moderates Alice Lee and […]
Maui County Begins Review of South Maui Community Plan with Public Meetings
The Maui County Council’s planning committee is kicking off its review of the draft South Maui Community Plan with site visits and a public evening meeting in Kīhei on Monday. The plan will shape future land use, housing, transportation, and infrastructure decisions for South Maui. Site inspections are scheduled for 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. […]
Maui Voters to Decide on Fixes for Paralyzed County Boards in November
Maui County voters will weigh eight charter amendments in November, including two aimed at reducing chronic vacancies on county boards and commissions that have stalled decisions on wildfire rebuilding, ethics investigations, and other key issues. Vacancies on Maui County’s roughly 40 volunteer boards and commissions have at times prevented them from meeting and acting on […]
Maui Council Ties Apartment-to-Hotel Rezoning Eligibility to Sea-Level-Rise Zones
The Maui County Council’s Housing and Land Use Committee voted 5-4 to use sea-level-rise exposure data as a key factor in deciding which apartment-zoned vacation rental properties qualify for hotel-district rezoning. The committee will reconvene September 9 to continue deliberations. A 5-4 committee vote adopted criteria linking hotel-district rezoning eligibility to how far a property […]
County May Rezone Sea-Level-Risk Condos to Keep Vacation Rentals Operating
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 […]
Maui Council Weighs Adding Hundreds of Coastal Condos to Vacation Rental Zones
Two resolutions before the Maui County Council would rezone up to 26 shoreline condo properties into new hotel zoning districts, potentially allowing them to continue operating as vacation rentals rather than being phased out under Bill 9. Sea level rise exposure is cited as justification for exempting these coastal units from the county’s long-term housing […]