HLU-19 BILL 82 (2023) BILL 82 (2023), AMENDING ORDINANCE 4405 TO GRANT A CONDITIONAL PERMIT FOR SPECIAL EVENTS TO HO?OKAHI PALAMA ALI?I, LLC AT 250 HAIKU ROAD, HAIKU, MAUI (HLU-19)
the haiku mill is a venue unlike any other here on maui. the ambiance of the mill provides a top tier experience for the couples that it hosts, and provides incredible business for local maui vendors. your consideration and support to allow our wedding industry professionals to conduct business i greatly appreciated! the wedding industry helps directly support our local vendors, and also promotes visitors to support our local economy while they are here visiting as well.
as a born and raised maui local, and a wedding professional for the past 20+ years, i would not have been able to be on my island home and build my career if it weren't for the support of my fellow wedding vendors and the business that the wedding industry brings to hawai'i. i would like to see continued success for my colleagues and future vendors of the wedding industry on maui.
ry-n shimabuku - makeup artist
Kent and Darlene from Ohana Films created a video including numerous video testimonies from Angies Nelson, Matias Ezcurra, Derrick Sebastian, Dellables, etc.
To view these comments in support for BILL 82 please copy and paste the link below
https://vimeo.com/807377607 For access use password: love
I respectfully urge your support for Bill 80. There is no one better suited to operate a special events venue than Carolee Higashino and granting the permit would provide much needed support to our island and community.
I support the approval of permit . Haiku mill like other very few venues left on Maui are the key places for the wedding and events industry that so many local businesses are relying on to keep them in business . Maui needs more small
Venues not only hotels. Let Maui small businesses thrive again. To many restrictions on small venues on Maui. Approve
The Haiku Mill is one of the states most unique and historic venues we have to offer. Giving a glimpse into Hawaii’s history, this venue is one of a kind. The venue not only supports local small businesses, it supports the tourism industry as a whole. As a wedding and event coordinator for over 10 years, I’ve seen many groups from destinations all over the world fall in love with this venue, it’s brought the clientele to Maui that the island attracts, clientele that robustly support our local economy.
Now, more than ever, we need more event venues here on Maui. Since the devastating Lahaina fires, we’ve lost a lot of what our island has to offer. By approving the Haiku Mill, we can ensure our industry, and our people secure financial futures to come. Please support our small local businesses, we have lost far too many over the last three years, and would hate to see more diminish in the near future.
I am in complete support to grant The Haiku Mill the permit to operate. We desperately need venues like this. Sylvia and her team have created the most incredible magical venue for both visitors and locals alike. This site is truly one of a kind and a unique world wide spot that is a huge draw in supporting our local economy. It is critical that we have unique venues such as this to compete in the world market of events and weddings. The Revenue from sites such as this have brought the island of Maui and the State of Hawaii astounding volumes of income and should not to be minimalized as anything short of monumental. Sylvias standards and expectations of excellence are clearly represented here and a professional approach is always prioritized. It is without hesitation that I feel she be granted an emergency permit now due to the shortage of options causing a landslide in our industry. As a fellow wedding planner of 30+years in the industry on Maui I wish to emphasize this urgent need. Carolee Higashino, A White Orchid Wedding, Inc.
The Honorable Tasha Kama, Chair
Housing and Land Use Committee & Members of the Maui County Council 12/12/2023
I am writing today as a show of support for approving & reinstating Ho’okahi Palama Ali’I, LLC (further referred to as Haiku Mill) permits.
Please first allow me to introduce myself: My Name is Jonas Po’okela Kanahele. I am a proud, Native Hawaiian born on Molokai and raised on Maui. My business, Artisan Events Maui LLC is Kanahele Owned by Myself and operated with my wife, Tasha Kanahele. Artisan Events Maui LLC serves Maui’s Community as an event rental company providing carefully crafted and curated rental offerings to our event community on Island including high end local & destination weddings, corporate retreats, benefits, graduations, baby showers and many other events that celebrate life’s milestone moments. As an expert designer and craftsman, I provide a highly edited selection of rentals designed by me and carefully fabricated here on Maui by the Artisan Events team and I. What this means: Artisan Events directly supports our local work force both financially and by sharing refined skills that will serve them for life, locally sources materials such as hardwoods from local suppliers injecting funds both directly & indirectly into our delicate local economy. We have immense pride in our home here on Maui, our culture and in how our business celebrates and supports the fore mentioned.
Maui has been and continues to be one of the world’s topmost event destinations offering a glimpse into Maui’s history & culture we celebrate paired with the effortless luxury that only Maui’s one-of-a-kind venues and our team of event professionals can provide. Destination events provide a huge return per individual guest hosted on our Island which brings and emphasizes the quality over quantity narrative of the type of tourist Maui wants and needs with an astonishing return per guest going not back to off Island Corporate entities but right into our Islands local economy. With Maui’s tourism industry, I do truly believe we represent & preserve our Island home best by a focus on quality over quantity; when it comes to our delicate balance of local resident to tourist numbers and love that our exclusive venues, and businesses they support, draw discerning, quality visitors to our Island who are here not to take but to experience, appreciate & support – they’re still staying in high end resorts but are here for a far more broad offering booking immersive experiences across the Island areas that remain open to support other industries across our community and further fuel our economy.
Our Locally owned, independent venue’s provide intimate settings throughout our Island in which guests can appreciate varied landscapes, shared experiences and the history the Maui has to offer. We are already limited on independent venue’s that our clients can choose from which offer the ability to cater to truly exclusive event experiences outside of the version of Maui that Hotel settings & ballrooms often bring. We pride ourselves in being part of the circle of professionals that has had the pleasure of producing elevated events at our independent venues such as Haiku Mill. All while still supporting large chain Resorts as they still benefit from these events as these high-end clients and their guests still need resort bookings in which these groups still spend their money on meals, shopping, room and board. Our independent venues provide not a replacement for large resorts, but additional experience opportunities. Often, venues such as Haiku Mill are the reason for our guests visiting Maui and have growing waitlists that can be serviced with the re-opening which provides work for not only the stewards of the property but for the 1000’s of individuals employed by the companies that work there.
As a Native Hawaiian and local business owner in the event industry, it is important to me that these exclusive venues, not only be preserved & re-opened but respected by Maui County. Our industry has been far underrated in past years, most recently during the crisis brought by COVID where our businesses only made it by drawing huge loans putting us far in debt just to keep doors open and people fed. Now we face yet another devastating force that has ravaged our home and is already affecting our small businesses with huge financial recourse and again our small businesses are having to fall back on additional loan money. Due to the drop in both available venues & tourism, our event businesses have had to encourage employees to go on part-time-unemployment as event hours have dropped. We need to stop viewing our Independently & Locally owned venues and small businesses as “locations, spaces and entities” and recognize the people who are provided support and livelihood and rely on our local families who own and operate them.
I support and respectfully request your support for Bill 80 and approving of the necessary permits for Haiku Mill. With the re-opening, countless jobs will once again be accessible as the production of events at such venues supports photographers, videographers, coordinators, florists, rentals, caterers, patisserie, service staff, etc. Not to mention the business generated by those the professionals source goods from and those they employ. Please re-instate Haiku Mills permits as we simply cannot operate with our most exclusive venues shuttered as this effect will be detrimental to our industry and have a ripple effect into our community that would not only touch our industry but other industries across Maui County.
Mahalo,
Jonas Kanahele
Owner - Artisan Events Maui, LLC
The Honorable Tasha Kama, Chair
Housing and Land Use Committee
Maui County Council
200 S. High St.
Kalana O Maui Building
Wailuku, HI 96793
Dear Chair Kama and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
I am reaching out on behalf of Accel Events & Tents. Accel has provided event services to the state of Hawai'i for the past 28 years and counting. Like many other event rental companies in Hawai'i, Accel offers services and products to events of all sizes and types, including weddings, political campaigns, corporate gatherings, and community celebrations, to name a few.
The recent fires in Maui have proven quite detrimental to our operation on the island. Due to the volume of business we lost, we decided to shut down our operation for the next six months and plan to revisit the challenges of reopening at that time. Accel could not retain its workforce in Maui, which will only add to the difficulties of reopening.
Given the abovementioned hardships, one of the most significant hurdles we currently face is the shortage of operational event venues. Locations, such as Haiku Mill, have been instrumental to the success of events in our area. The lack of such venues has severely impacted our ability to provide services and hindered the local community's economic growth.
Accel Events & Tents would like to express our full support for the passage of Bill 80, which proposes the provision of conditional permits for essential venues to operate. This bill's approval is vital for the recovery of the event industry and the overall economic resurgence of Maui.
We respectfully urge your support for Bill 80. Your backing in this matter would be a significant step towards revitalizing the event industry in Maui, providing numerous benefits to local businesses, their employees, and the wider community.
Thank you for considering this critical issue. We hope for a positive outcome that will foster a more vital and vibrant Maui.
The Honorable Tasha Kama, Chair Housing and Land Use Committee:
Dear Chair Kama and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
As a 43 year resident of Maui, a mother, a small business owner and a very concerned member of the community, I would like to address the current crisis in our wedding industry.
I have been writing letters and standing up for our private venues for years, and now, more than ever, we need this current permitting situation to be rectified. Not only the permitting/re-permitting of those established properties that have been waiting for years, but any new applicants that are in process. This is so critical to the survival of one of the most diverse industries, contributing to so many aspects of our island economy.
Needless to say, just as we started to recover from the Covid loss of business, we are faced with the decline of our industry again. The addition of private venues is a huge draw to the clientele that wants a unique Maui experience and will give us a fighting change to rebuild our wedding and event industry. This decision affects many many local businesses here on Maui. Personally, private venues constitutes 90% of our business and as many as 2-12 designers, drivers, and installation crews per event.
Haiku Mill has become a world destination for discerning clients and supports business that are not able to work in hotels. In addition, many of our clients are not interested in hotel weddings that can happen any where in the world. Haiku Mill offers not only a first class venue, but a peak into the history of our island.
White Orchid Beach House offers one of the most unique locations on this island for small groups. It is a very rare piece of heaven that is becoming all to uncommon as larger homesites and investors gobble up our shoreline. The high integrity of this company speaks for itself.
Mahalo for your attention to this matter. We truly hope you can create a path to expedite these long awaited venue permits so this industry can get back to work again.
Mahalo,
Teresa Sena
Owner, Teresa Sena Designs, LLC
Thank you for scheduling Haiku Mill before the HLU Committee,
Attached is a PDF packet with letters of support from the Mayor's office and 24 members of the community. Also attached is a letter addressing recent updates to the project.
the haiku mill is a venue unlike any other here on maui. the ambiance of the mill provides a top tier experience for the couples that it hosts, and provides incredible business for local maui vendors. your consideration and support to allow our wedding industry professionals to conduct business i greatly appreciated! the wedding industry helps directly support our local vendors, and also promotes visitors to support our local economy while they are here visiting as well.
as a born and raised maui local, and a wedding professional for the past 20+ years, i would not have been able to be on my island home and build my career if it weren't for the support of my fellow wedding vendors and the business that the wedding industry brings to hawai'i. i would like to see continued success for my colleagues and future vendors of the wedding industry on maui.
ry-n shimabuku - makeup artist
Kent and Darlene from Ohana Films created a video including numerous video testimonies from Angies Nelson, Matias Ezcurra, Derrick Sebastian, Dellables, etc.
To view these comments in support for BILL 82 please copy and paste the link below
https://vimeo.com/807377607 For access use password: love
Aloha,
I respectfully urge your support for Bill 80. There is no one better suited to operate a special events venue than Carolee Higashino and granting the permit would provide much needed support to our island and community.
Mahalo,
Branden Molina
I support the approval of permit . Haiku mill like other very few venues left on Maui are the key places for the wedding and events industry that so many local businesses are relying on to keep them in business . Maui needs more small
Venues not only hotels. Let Maui small businesses thrive again. To many restrictions on small venues on Maui. Approve
- Anthony oreta
The Haiku Mill is one of the states most unique and historic venues we have to offer. Giving a glimpse into Hawaii’s history, this venue is one of a kind. The venue not only supports local small businesses, it supports the tourism industry as a whole. As a wedding and event coordinator for over 10 years, I’ve seen many groups from destinations all over the world fall in love with this venue, it’s brought the clientele to Maui that the island attracts, clientele that robustly support our local economy.
Now, more than ever, we need more event venues here on Maui. Since the devastating Lahaina fires, we’ve lost a lot of what our island has to offer. By approving the Haiku Mill, we can ensure our industry, and our people secure financial futures to come. Please support our small local businesses, we have lost far too many over the last three years, and would hate to see more diminish in the near future.
Mahalo Nui,
Kendall Oreta
A White Orchid Wedding Inc.
Support
I am in complete support to grant The Haiku Mill the permit to operate. We desperately need venues like this. Sylvia and her team have created the most incredible magical venue for both visitors and locals alike. This site is truly one of a kind and a unique world wide spot that is a huge draw in supporting our local economy. It is critical that we have unique venues such as this to compete in the world market of events and weddings. The Revenue from sites such as this have brought the island of Maui and the State of Hawaii astounding volumes of income and should not to be minimalized as anything short of monumental. Sylvias standards and expectations of excellence are clearly represented here and a professional approach is always prioritized. It is without hesitation that I feel she be granted an emergency permit now due to the shortage of options causing a landslide in our industry. As a fellow wedding planner of 30+years in the industry on Maui I wish to emphasize this urgent need. Carolee Higashino, A White Orchid Wedding, Inc.
The Honorable Tasha Kama, Chair
Housing and Land Use Committee & Members of the Maui County Council 12/12/2023
I am writing today as a show of support for approving & reinstating Ho’okahi Palama Ali’I, LLC (further referred to as Haiku Mill) permits.
Please first allow me to introduce myself: My Name is Jonas Po’okela Kanahele. I am a proud, Native Hawaiian born on Molokai and raised on Maui. My business, Artisan Events Maui LLC is Kanahele Owned by Myself and operated with my wife, Tasha Kanahele. Artisan Events Maui LLC serves Maui’s Community as an event rental company providing carefully crafted and curated rental offerings to our event community on Island including high end local & destination weddings, corporate retreats, benefits, graduations, baby showers and many other events that celebrate life’s milestone moments. As an expert designer and craftsman, I provide a highly edited selection of rentals designed by me and carefully fabricated here on Maui by the Artisan Events team and I. What this means: Artisan Events directly supports our local work force both financially and by sharing refined skills that will serve them for life, locally sources materials such as hardwoods from local suppliers injecting funds both directly & indirectly into our delicate local economy. We have immense pride in our home here on Maui, our culture and in how our business celebrates and supports the fore mentioned.
Maui has been and continues to be one of the world’s topmost event destinations offering a glimpse into Maui’s history & culture we celebrate paired with the effortless luxury that only Maui’s one-of-a-kind venues and our team of event professionals can provide. Destination events provide a huge return per individual guest hosted on our Island which brings and emphasizes the quality over quantity narrative of the type of tourist Maui wants and needs with an astonishing return per guest going not back to off Island Corporate entities but right into our Islands local economy. With Maui’s tourism industry, I do truly believe we represent & preserve our Island home best by a focus on quality over quantity; when it comes to our delicate balance of local resident to tourist numbers and love that our exclusive venues, and businesses they support, draw discerning, quality visitors to our Island who are here not to take but to experience, appreciate & support – they’re still staying in high end resorts but are here for a far more broad offering booking immersive experiences across the Island areas that remain open to support other industries across our community and further fuel our economy.
Our Locally owned, independent venue’s provide intimate settings throughout our Island in which guests can appreciate varied landscapes, shared experiences and the history the Maui has to offer. We are already limited on independent venue’s that our clients can choose from which offer the ability to cater to truly exclusive event experiences outside of the version of Maui that Hotel settings & ballrooms often bring. We pride ourselves in being part of the circle of professionals that has had the pleasure of producing elevated events at our independent venues such as Haiku Mill. All while still supporting large chain Resorts as they still benefit from these events as these high-end clients and their guests still need resort bookings in which these groups still spend their money on meals, shopping, room and board. Our independent venues provide not a replacement for large resorts, but additional experience opportunities. Often, venues such as Haiku Mill are the reason for our guests visiting Maui and have growing waitlists that can be serviced with the re-opening which provides work for not only the stewards of the property but for the 1000’s of individuals employed by the companies that work there.
As a Native Hawaiian and local business owner in the event industry, it is important to me that these exclusive venues, not only be preserved & re-opened but respected by Maui County. Our industry has been far underrated in past years, most recently during the crisis brought by COVID where our businesses only made it by drawing huge loans putting us far in debt just to keep doors open and people fed. Now we face yet another devastating force that has ravaged our home and is already affecting our small businesses with huge financial recourse and again our small businesses are having to fall back on additional loan money. Due to the drop in both available venues & tourism, our event businesses have had to encourage employees to go on part-time-unemployment as event hours have dropped. We need to stop viewing our Independently & Locally owned venues and small businesses as “locations, spaces and entities” and recognize the people who are provided support and livelihood and rely on our local families who own and operate them.
I support and respectfully request your support for Bill 80 and approving of the necessary permits for Haiku Mill. With the re-opening, countless jobs will once again be accessible as the production of events at such venues supports photographers, videographers, coordinators, florists, rentals, caterers, patisserie, service staff, etc. Not to mention the business generated by those the professionals source goods from and those they employ. Please re-instate Haiku Mills permits as we simply cannot operate with our most exclusive venues shuttered as this effect will be detrimental to our industry and have a ripple effect into our community that would not only touch our industry but other industries across Maui County.
Mahalo,
Jonas Kanahele
Owner - Artisan Events Maui, LLC
I am in support
12/12/2023
The Honorable Tasha Kama, Chair
Housing and Land Use Committee
Maui County Council
200 S. High St.
Kalana O Maui Building
Wailuku, HI 96793
Dear Chair Kama and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
I am reaching out on behalf of Accel Events & Tents. Accel has provided event services to the state of Hawai'i for the past 28 years and counting. Like many other event rental companies in Hawai'i, Accel offers services and products to events of all sizes and types, including weddings, political campaigns, corporate gatherings, and community celebrations, to name a few.
The recent fires in Maui have proven quite detrimental to our operation on the island. Due to the volume of business we lost, we decided to shut down our operation for the next six months and plan to revisit the challenges of reopening at that time. Accel could not retain its workforce in Maui, which will only add to the difficulties of reopening.
Given the abovementioned hardships, one of the most significant hurdles we currently face is the shortage of operational event venues. Locations, such as Haiku Mill, have been instrumental to the success of events in our area. The lack of such venues has severely impacted our ability to provide services and hindered the local community's economic growth.
Accel Events & Tents would like to express our full support for the passage of Bill 80, which proposes the provision of conditional permits for essential venues to operate. This bill's approval is vital for the recovery of the event industry and the overall economic resurgence of Maui.
We respectfully urge your support for Bill 80. Your backing in this matter would be a significant step towards revitalizing the event industry in Maui, providing numerous benefits to local businesses, their employees, and the wider community.
Thank you for considering this critical issue. We hope for a positive outcome that will foster a more vital and vibrant Maui.
Mahalo Nui Loa,
Adam Smith
Vice President
Accel Events & Tents
The Honorable Tasha Kama, Chair Housing and Land Use Committee:
Dear Chair Kama and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
As a 43 year resident of Maui, a mother, a small business owner and a very concerned member of the community, I would like to address the current crisis in our wedding industry.
I have been writing letters and standing up for our private venues for years, and now, more than ever, we need this current permitting situation to be rectified. Not only the permitting/re-permitting of those established properties that have been waiting for years, but any new applicants that are in process. This is so critical to the survival of one of the most diverse industries, contributing to so many aspects of our island economy.
Needless to say, just as we started to recover from the Covid loss of business, we are faced with the decline of our industry again. The addition of private venues is a huge draw to the clientele that wants a unique Maui experience and will give us a fighting change to rebuild our wedding and event industry. This decision affects many many local businesses here on Maui. Personally, private venues constitutes 90% of our business and as many as 2-12 designers, drivers, and installation crews per event.
Haiku Mill has become a world destination for discerning clients and supports business that are not able to work in hotels. In addition, many of our clients are not interested in hotel weddings that can happen any where in the world. Haiku Mill offers not only a first class venue, but a peak into the history of our island.
White Orchid Beach House offers one of the most unique locations on this island for small groups. It is a very rare piece of heaven that is becoming all to uncommon as larger homesites and investors gobble up our shoreline. The high integrity of this company speaks for itself.
Mahalo for your attention to this matter. We truly hope you can create a path to expedite these long awaited venue permits so this industry can get back to work again.
Mahalo,
Teresa Sena
Owner, Teresa Sena Designs, LLC
Thank you for scheduling Haiku Mill before the HLU Committee,
Attached is a PDF packet with letters of support from the Mayor's office and 24 members of the community. Also attached is a letter addressing recent updates to the project.
Mahalo,
Robb Cole, Planner
Please see the attached PDF in support of Bill 82 on behalf of the American Rental Association and it's Maui members.