Maui County to Review Coastal Development Boundary Unchanged Since 1979
Multiple sources report that the Maui County Department of Planning will present a Special Management Area (SMA) boundary assessment project at the July 14 Maui Planning Commission meeting. The SMA governs development controls along the shoreline, and Maui’s current boundary has not been updated since 1979. The meeting is an early-stage public introduction with no […]
Maui County to Review Coastal SMA Boundary Rules at July 14 Public Meeting
Multiple sources report that the Maui County Department of Planning is inviting the public to attend a Maui Planning Commission meeting on July 14, 2026, to learn about an assessment of the island’s Special Management Area (SMA) boundary. The SMA governs development controls near the shoreline and has not been updated since 1979. The meeting […]
Maui Council Creates Hotel Zoning Path to Exempt Some Condos from STR Ban
The Maui County Council voted 7-2 to establish two new hotel zoning classifications that could allow up to 4,500 condominiums facing a short-term rental ban to continue operating as vacation rentals. Properties must go through a planning commission review and Council approval to qualify for the new zoning. The Council passed Bill 88 on June […]
Maui Council Creates Hotel Zoning Path to Dodge STR Ban for ~4,500 Condos
Maui County Council passed Bill 88, creating two new hotel zoning classifications that could allow certain condos facing a short-term rental ban to continue operating as vacation rentals. Any rezoning still requires planning commission review and a Council vote. The Council voted 7-2 on June 19 to create new hotel zoning categories that up to […]
Maui County Launches First SMA Boundary Review Since 1979
The Maui Planning Commission will hold a public meeting on July 14 to kick off a formal assessment of Maui’s Special Management Area coastal boundary, which hasn’t been updated in over 45 years. The multi-year review could eventually affect development rules for shoreline properties. The County of Maui is assessing whether its SMA boundary — […]
Hawaii Supreme Court Revives Maui Lani Grading Permit Legal Challenge
The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that a cultural group can proceed with its claim questioning whether Maui County had valid ‘good cause’ to extend a grading permit at the Maui Lani Phase 9 development site. The case, centered on a sand dune complex with ancestral Hawaiian burial sites, will now return to Circuit Court for […]
Maui Council Passes Bill 88, Offering Path for 4,500 STRs to Stay Operating
Multiple sources report that the Maui County Council voted 7-2 to approve Bill 88, creating a potential pathway for thousands of apartment-zoned vacation rentals to avoid the phase-out established under Bill 9. The legislation creates two new hotel zoning districts (H-3 and H-4) that qualifying properties can apply for, though the approval does not automatically […]
State Board Weighs Live Plant Import Ban for Maui and Lānaʻi Amid CRB Detections
Multiple reports from Hawaii Public Radio cover the state Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity’s consideration of interim rules to restrict live potted plant imports to Maui and Lānaʻi following recent coconut rhinoceros beetle detections. The board declined to enact emergency rules immediately but said it could vote on interim restrictions at its meeting next month. […]
PUC Seeks Public Input on Utility Wildfire Liability Cap Before June 30 Deadline
Hawaii’s Public Utilities Commission has extended its public comment period to June 30 on a proposed liability cap that would limit how much electric utilities must pay in damages if their equipment causes a future wildfire. The cap would apply to future wildfires only, not the 2023 Lahaina fire. The PUC is developing a liability […]
Maui Council Advances 1,600-Unit Kahului Development, Molokaʻi B&B Limits
The Maui County Council gave first-reading approval to land use bills enabling a large mixed-use workforce housing project near Kahului Airport, while also passing a bill restricting bed and breakfast locations on Molokaʻi. Bills 163 and 164 would rezone ~166 acres near Pūlehu/Hansen roads from agriculture to business-multifamily to allow ~1,608 workforce housing units with […]