Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony. I am writing in opposition to Bill 9.
I am the General Manager of Ka’anapali Royal, a condo complex that is part of the Ka'anapali Resort area, sitting on the 16th green of Ka’anapali golf course and a ¼ mile from the Whaler’s Village. Ka'anapali Royal is in a master planned resort destination area. This means it is intended for use by visitors as a destination for their travel. We are members of the Ka'anapali Operations Association of the Ka'anapali Beach Resort and Ka'anapali Royal is required by the KOA to pay a portion of its AOAO budget to the Ka'anapali Operations Association. Our 105-condo complex houses a combination of full-time, part-time residents, long and short-term rentals. We are also considered a condo hotel by many lenders based upon the distribution and number of part-time residents and short-term rentals to the number of full-time residents and long-term rentals.
We employ nine staff, and our revenue primarily comes from AOAO fees and short-term rental parking revenue. Our Board strives to keep the AOAO fees as low as possible recognizing that higher fees impact our residents, some of whom are fixed income seniors. Unfortunately, our costs are increasing significantly because of the age of our property and subsequent needed repairs, such as our $2.5 million roofing replacement that we are doing this year. Our insurance has also increased 300% as a direct result of the fires.
Losing STR rights will have a significant impact to our operating revenue - requiring either job loss or significant increases in AOAO dues by the loss of short term rental parking revenue. But it’s more than economic factors - we are in a tourist zone and believe that our ability to welcome tourists to our property in the Ka'anapali Resort benefits all of our residents, neighboring restaurants and shops.
I recommend the denial of Bill 9.
Respectfully
Justin Spanko
General Manager
Ka’anapali Royal
I am respectfully request an amendment to Bill 9 as drafted and propose that the Council amend Bill 9 to exclude Papakea Oceanfront Resort which the County has historically identified as having A2-H2 zoning.
This property was not designed as a residence and does not have the amenities to be suitable permanent housing. This property was designed and permitted to be a legal vacation rental. It has been a rental for 50 years. Moreover, our partners including Maui Tom cleaners, CPR-ac-HVAC, Arrow Glass, Hale Kai Electric, Lincoln Construction and Paradise Screens many other members of our team rely on this business to keep their business alive. Further they have made lifetime commitments to serve our community. Losing the vacation rentals would mean starting over for them. We simply would not have the funds to address remodel and upkeep in our current state.
Mahalo,
Gary and Donita Mariegard
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, #C 106, Lahaina, HI 96761
Dear Chair, Vice Chair, and Committee members:
My name is Richard Blackman and I own two short term rentals on Maui. I'm writing to express strong opposition to the proposed legislation to eliminate short term rentals. As a STR owner we and our many return guest contribute in many ways to the Maui economy. We purchase groceries, rent cars and gas, frequent restaurants and purchase from craft fairs and patronize local entertainment . Additionally we hire cleaning services, management company, rental company, handymen and other local services. The elimination of STR will have a monumental financial and social impact on Maui. Many "mom & pop" establishments who depend of the frequency of renters will go out of business. The likes of Papi's Ohana, coffee shops, farmer's market all thrive on "new" patron's frequency. Not only will their establishments be in jeopardy, but their employees will also be out of work.
The U of H has documented the financial, economic, and social loss the elimination of STR all have on Maui. What the report failed to identify is the additional loss of Maui County Tax charged on transient guests.
Our's, like many condos. were built and coded as "condohotel". They were not built nor are they suited for permanent housing. They are generally small (600 sq. ft), no heat, now A/C, no storage space, one car parking slot per unit.
Consider the financial and social impact elimination of STR will have on Maui and local residences who work in the industry.
I am asking you to VOTE NO on the elimination of short term rentals.
Mahalo,
Richard Blackman
4957 L. Honoapiilani Rd. Maui
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
We oppose Bill 9 as drafted and propose that the Council amend Bill 9 to exclude Papakea Oceanfront Resort which the County has historically identified as having A2-H2 zoning.
Background on Papakea
• Papakea was initially marketed and sold as a legal vacation rental property before any zoning restrictions limited transient vacation rentals in apartment zoned properties.
• Papakea owners have been operating legal vacation rentals for almost fifty years.
• Papakea has never been workforce housing so Papakea is not an example of a property that converted from workforce housing to transient vacation rental use.
• The majority of units at Papakea are under 600 square feet and the property has limited parking.
• Papakea is not in a residential neighborhood and is located alongside a long stretch of hotel-zoned properties and directly adjacent to multiple commercially-zoned properties.
• Unlike apartment buildings designed for long-term residential use, Papakea has a front desk, an activity concierge, shared activity space, and numerous other common resort amenities.
• Owners purchased condos at Papakea with the reasonable expectation that short-term rentals were legal based on ordinances as far back as 1989, and as recent as 2022.
• In reliance on the Maui County ordinances and published documents, Hawaii state law, and constitutional protections, owners invested in costly renovations, furnishings, and long-term financial commitments such as mortgages that make any phase out of short-term rental right offensive of each buyer’s investment-backed expectations.
Papakea’s Contributions to the Community
• Papakea’s resort operations provide full-time, benefited, employment for 35 local resident employees; some have worked at the property for over 17 years; some started in entry-level positions and worked into supervisory roles.
• Papakea supports a wide variety of local trade professionals including pest control, HVAC, painting, plumbing, electrical, general contracting, masonry, tile and flooring, fitness instructors, entertainers, and tree trimming.
Individual Owner Contributions to the Community
• Many small businesses owned and operated by local residents from the Maui community rely on Papakea short-term rentals including housekeepers, handymen, on-island agents, and contractors. These service providers set their own rates, work hours, select their own clients, work conditions and standard operating procedures. Shutting down short-term rentals at Papakea means telling local entrepreneurs that worked hard to build a small business that they need to just go get a job somewhere else to make less money, have less flexibility, and be subject to oppressive corporate policies. Currently, we are employing and have paid well over $100,000 to contractors, sub-contractors, day laborers, to support our recent construction project.
• Papakea STRs support the State of Hawaii and County of Maui through payment of property taxes (many at the short-term rental rate), Transient Accommodations Tax, General Excise Tax, and Maui County Transient Accommodations Tax.
• Papakea guests support many small businesses on the island including restaurants, food trucks, tour operators, activities, state parks, the national park, and shops.
• Papakea owners and guests regularly participate in community activities including volunteering at beach cleanups, Maui Humane Society, the hospital, and many other local organizations, and contribute to local philanthropic and cultural efforts.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Charles & Sharon Cerini
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, #D104, Lahaina, HI 96761
Hello,
I respectfully oppose this bill. The Kaanapali Royal is one of the buildings in question. It is in the Kaanapali resort zone and part of the resort plan. STR in this area support many local workers. Families often prefer staying in a home-like unit instead of hotels. Please keep this area available for tourism that supports the local economy.
Thank you for your consideration.
Send these haoles back! We only want to keep what's convenient! Give me my Yoda, my government subsidies, my free food, my free check and now my free housing. Yes! It's the main landers fault I am a xenophobic racist! It's their fault I never got an education, it's their fault we choose drugs over jobs! Let's take their units, we deserve them!
I live on Maui and work directly in the short-term rental industry, alongside a team of local professionals — housekeepers, handymen, guest coordinators, and service staff. We’re not a corporation. We’re not backed by investors. We are local workers trying to make an honest living in the place we call home.
To many, this bill may seem like it’s just about regulating STRs. But for those of us on the ground, it’s much more personal. It targets our livelihoods — the day-to-day work that allows us to keep roofs over our heads and food on the table. This is how we support our families and contribute to the island economy.
The idea that hotels can replace what STRs offer our community is deeply flawed. Hotel profits don’t stay here. They go to shareholders who have no real connection to Maui. STR income, when kept in the hands of local residents and small operators, flows back into the community — to paychecks, to rent, to local businesses, and to the people who actually live here.
This bill, if passed, risks erasing years of work and dedication. It would mean fewer opportunities for people like me who have built something from the ground up — not out of greed, but out of necessity and love for this island.
We’re not looking for special treatment. We’re asking not to be overlooked — not to be swept aside while outside interests continue to shape decisions that impact us most.
Please consider the real consequences this bill would have on everyday people who live and work here. We want to remain a part of Maui’s future, not be pushed out of it.
I am a full time Maui Resident for more than 18 years and am very much against the forced phase out of so many short term rentals here on Maui.
It is important to remember that, even if these properties loose their ability to operate as short term rentals, there is no guarantee that they would then become affordable long term housing. And furthermore, the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii released an independent economic analysis of the proposal and It clearly outlined the significant reduction of visitor spending (about $900M per year) that would lead to the loss of thousands of local jobs, and significantly reduce the county’s tax revenue. I truly beleive these impacts would be more likely to hurt the people it intends to help. Not to mention I think it is just morally and ethically wrong to intentionally cause harm to so many property owners when there are other solutions that would be so much more effective. Like building more affordable housing.
Please vote no on Bill 9. It would only force more local residents to leave the island.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration of what is truly best for All of Maui's people.
I am a Kapuna Senior, retired Minister and living on Social Security at 78 years. The wait for Senior Housing is 8 years, even though I have filed application to all available senior residences since 2018, and still it is a 8 years wait! This is serious!
There are many places sitting idle by wealthy people who come once or twice a year! I purpose That a Bill be initiated that the owner of location must live in it, especially for those who have so many investment properties they rent at high prices and continuing to raise the rents higher & higher! While, we the locals, do not have housing and some becoming Homeless due to prices and availability! PLEASE CHANGE THIS BY SUPPORTING THIS BILL THAT WILL CREATE MORE HOUSING, ESPECIALLY FOR SENIORS!
My name is Gina Lani and I am writing to you not as a big investor or a corporation — but as a person born and raised on Maui. I am a resident, a worker, and someone who loves this island deeply. I make my living in this industry — I work hard every day as part of a local team of handymen, housekeepers, booking agents, and service providers. This is not just a job. This is my livelihood. This is how I survive. This is how I give back to my community.
We are not pro-STR — we are pro-local.
This bill, while it may appear to target short-term rentals, really targets the lives of local residents like me who depend on this work. We are the backbone of this industry, and we are asking — begging — not to be forgotten.
Hotels are not the answer. The profits from those businesses leave the island. The shareholders don’t live here. They don’t care about our roads, our schools, or our grocery bills. But we do. I do. When STR income stays in the hands of local families, it supports us. It keeps our kids in school, our elders cared for, and our culture alive.
This bill, as it stands, would take away the opportunities I’ve built with my own two hands. Please don’t take that from me. I’ve worked too hard, and I love Maui too much, to be pushed aside in favor of outside interests.
This is not corporate vs. STR. This is corporate vs. us. We are the people. We are the workers. We are the community. We live here. We love here. We serve here.
I am standing up not just for myself, but for my coworkers, my neighbors, my friends — all of us who depend on this work to live with dignity in the place we call home.
Please don’t take away the few options we have left. We are asking you to stand with locals — not against us.
With deepest respect,
Maui Resident, Local Worker, Community Member
STR condo's are like staying in a hotel room, maybe some people would like living in a hotel room, kids could play in the hallways? They could board their pets/bikes, or give them away, condo's built for short term rentals have strict rules..remember all the complaints that made the news from the fire victims staying in the short-term rentals, they didn't like all the rules. I wouldn't want to live in a hotel room. Condo's are not affordable housing. Who affords $1,900 just in condo dues, not even people that own and live in a condo can keep affording the ever increasing condo dues. Not to mention a mortgage? No free parking? I've owned and supported the economy here on Maui for 20 years, and now you want to take my property rights away? I can't sell the condo, It's been on the market over a year. The economy on Maui has been destroyed, and now you want to continue to take away the livelihoods of people that work here on Maui? Businesses here employ many people and are suffering, take their businesses away and the jobs they've created, they'll all leave you won't need housing. People will leave to find jobs out of this state. People that stay in hotels don't patronize local restaurants, nor big box stores, nor grocery stores, they don't go to Luau's outside of the hotels.. So destroy the businesses that support employment and taxes here on Maui as well? For what reason? Have any of you ever seen the buildings that you are talking about taking property rights away from? People that own 2nd homes in the A-1 & A-2 apartment zones also pay STR taxes based on Maui Countys highest and Best use.. So basically Maui County is admitting the condo's do have multiple uses.
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee
Bill 9 will bring economic ruin to Kihei and Maui, thus I strongly oppose this bill!. There have been many economic studies around the loss of income and jobs. Your own UHERO study puts it bluntly:
Here’s the conservative Uhero estimates of damage:
– 💸 $900 million in lost visitor spending
– 🏡 $60 million less in property tax revenue
– 🍽️ 20% drop in restaurant revenue
Bill will devastate the Mom and Pop businesses and strain Maui finances for essential services. Why would one be so blinded by the economic calamity that this will bring? Many of the businesses and restaurants will go out of business in Kihei. So much economic destruction and so many people put out of business for so little gain. Mayor Bissen touts this is all in the name of affordable housing but yet it's being reported that only 8% of the Minatoya properties will be willing to convert to long term housing. Why will most not long term rent? Because Hawaii has one of the worst landlord protection laws in the country. It would be almost impossible to evict anyone if they don't pay the rent or are disruptive tenants.
Now for those that will rent long term the only way possible if the rent is subsidized as HOA fees run on average $900 to $1600 a month plus yearly assessments. HOA fees on top of mortgages and insurance means most carrying costs are $4500-$6000. Special Assessments have been yearly and run $1-$3k a year. It has been reported in all the economic papers that the average income household in Maui is $90k a year which would equate to the max of $2500 one would have to spend on rent or a mortgage. There is no way an owner of any of these condos are going to subsidize the difference. And if one is forced to sell….who wins? Those who want a second home in Maui! What kills me is Maui Government had many many years to build affordable housing and neglected doing so…So what is the easy fix? Going after someone else's property. SHAMEFUL! Majority of the Minatoya condos have been allowed and codified into law to STR for close to 40 years! Our condo in the Maui Vista complex was built specifically for vacation rentals. IT says so in our Horizontal Regime and in fact was ran by Aston Vacation Rentals back in the 1980s and 1990s as a vacation destination. We have the marketing brochure that they used to advertise Maui Vista as a vacation tourist destination. The front desk used to check in and be there for a resource to guests is still there to this day.
Bill 9 is being touted as a need for emergency housing yet a 5 year amortization period will be given. Wouldn't it better for an emergency to just build housing now? I understand Maui needs affordable housing. Housing costs have gone up drastically everywhere and most states are building to accommodate. Maui can build its way out of this. But the way it is being handled really leads me to believe it is more about either wanting 1. less tourists or 2.the hotels here on island trying to push competition out. And once again the mom and pops of this world get the shaft. What is so sad is most tourists DO NOT WANT TO STAY IN A HOTEL and they won't.. They will go somewhere else like Costa Rica or the Bahamas. This will be devastating to Maui which tourism makes up .70 cents on the dollar.
In closing I am worried what will happen to the people I have worked with for many years. This will devastate them and I am sure they will have to leave the island. Kihei will become like any other city in the US that has had its economic life blood taken away and poverty will reign!
Please vote no on Bill 9. The only winner are the Hotels.
We urge the Council to reconsider this measure, invest the time to fully understand the impact on Maui over the next few years, and work collaboratively with community stakeholders, including economists, business leaders, Native Hawaiian organizations, and environmental advocates, to develop a long term plan, not a quick knee jerk reaction, to ensure Maui's economy, housing issues, and cultural preservation can be enhanced with thoughtful, well managed, effective alternatives.
We strongly oppose Maui Bill 9 as currently proposed due to its potentially devastating economic consequences for the island’s already fragile economy. According to a detailed analysis by the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO), the bill could lead to an alarming $900 million annual decline in visitor spending, a blow that would reverberate through every sector of our community.
The same UHERO report also projects the loss of approximately 1,900 local jobs. These are not just statistics—they represent real families, workers, and small businesses that rely on a balanced, responsible tourism economy to survive.
While we fully support the need to address over-tourism, the need for housing solutions, and preserving Maui’s natural and cultural resources, we believe that Bill 9 takes an overly blunt approach that risks long-term harm to local livelihoods without clear evidence it will deliver the intended environmental or community benefits. Sustainable solutions should enhance both economic stability and resource stewardship—not force our community to choose between one or the other.
Subject: SHORT-TERM RENTAL PHASEOUT, BILL 9 (2025
Honorable Committee Members, my name is Sheila Cheetham and I have been an owner of a condo at Maui Vista since May 1995, 30 years. My late husband and I purchased the condo so that our daughter and grandson had a place to live when they moved to this beautiful island. We moved here permanently 12 years ago and purchased a home in Kihei. Eventally my daughter and grandson moved out of the condo when she remarried, but stayed on the island. Our daughter is currently a housekeeper for a number of condos, including some in Puamana. She was working there when the Lahaina fires happened and was fortunate enough to get out late in the day as the situation became dire. Our grandson is now grown and is a public health nurse on Maui, his wife, who was born here, is an elementary teacher and they have two children. Another grandson, who was also born here, works small construction and has a wife and two children. I currently do daycare for two of my two-year old great-grandchildren so that their parents can work. Maui is our home.
Without short-term rentals, our daughter will be out of work, our grandson’s job will be impacted, and they may have to move off island.
Our friends and guests love this island. They love to go to the beach, attend luaus, go on hikes, eat at the local restaurants, visit the aquarium. They rent cars, take tours, and many friends and family come back year after year. THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY HERE, NOT SOMEWHERE ELSE like Mexico or the Caribbean or Florida! Here on Maui where they feel safe with their families.
Many cannot afford to stay in luxury hotels. They are families with children, and they love this island.
I implore you to reconsider transitioning STR because of the impact on the economy and the impact on many of its residents who will lose jobs because of the lack of visitors.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my concerns.
Sheila Cheetham
288 Kawailani Circle
Kihei, HI 96753
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
I oppose Bill 9 as drafted and propose that the Council amend Bill 9 to exclude Papakea Oceanfront Resort which the County has historically identified as having A2-H2 zoning.
Background on Papakea
Papakea was initially marketed and sold as a legal vacation rental property before any zoning restrictions limited transient vacation rentals in apartment zoned properties.
Papakea owners have been operating legal vacation rentals for almost fifty years.
Papakea has never been workforce housing so Papakea is not an example of a property that converted from workforce housing to transient vacation rental use.
The majority of units at Papakea are under 600 square feet and the property has limited parking and storage.
Papakea is not in a residential neighborhood and is located alongside a long stretch of hotel-zoned properties and directly adjacent to multiple hotel and commercially zoned properties.
Unlike apartment buildings designed for long-term residential use, Papakea has a front desk, an activity concierge, shared activity space, and numerous other common resort amenities.
Owners purchased condos at Papakea with the reasonable expectation that short-term rentals were legal based on ordinances as far back as 1989, and as recent as 2022.
In reliance on the Maui County ordinances and published documents, Hawaii state law, and constitutional protections, owners invested in costly renovations, furnishings, and long-term financial commitments such as mortgages that make any phase out of short-term rental right offensive of each buyer’s investment-backed expectations.
Papakea’s Contributions to the Community
Papakea’s resort operations provide full-time, benefited, employment for 35 local resident employees; some have worked at the property for over 17 years; some started in entry-level positions and worked into supervisory roles.
Papakea supports a wide variety of local trade professionals including pest control, HVAC, painting, plumbing, electrical, general contracting, masonry, tile and flooring, fitness instructors, entertainers, and tree trimming.
Individual Owner Contributions to the Community
Many small businesses owned and operated by local residents from the Maui community rely on Papakea short-term rentals including housekeepers, handymen, on-island agents, and contractors. These service providers set their own rates, work hours, select their own clients, work conditions and standard operating procedures. Shutting down short-term rentals at Papakea means telling local entrepreneurs that worked hard to build a small business that they need to just go get a job somewhere else to make less money, have less flexibility, and be subject to oppressive corporate policies.
Papakea STRs support the State of Hawaii and County of Maui through payment of property taxes (the majority at the short-term rental rate),
Transient Accommodations Tax, General Excise Tax, and Maui County Transient Accommodations Tax.
Papakea guests support many small businesses on the island including restaurants, food trucks, tour operators, activities, state parks, the national park, and shops.
Papakea owners and guests regularly participate in community activities including volunteering at beach cleanups, Maui Humane Society, the hospital, and many other local organizations, and contribute to local philanthropic nd cultural efforts.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to comment.
My husband and I are against the proposed STR ban. Although we are located in a condominium that has long term rental only, we do not believe the city or mayor has the right to make this type of decision without the vote of all the people of Maui. Having family and friends visit, the costs of vacationing on Maui has risen significantly and it appears that the pay for workers has not increased to meet the demand. We believe building affordable housing is the answer to some of the housing issues. Some places give residents a significant discount for renting or buying. We support finding alternative options.
Dear Chair and Members of the Maui County Council,
I am the owner of a legally operating short-term rental property in Maui County. I am writing to respectfully oppose the proposed legislation to phase out over 7,000 legal Transient Vacation Rentals in A-1 and A-2 Apartment Zoning Districts.
Economic Impact of Short-Term Rentals:
Short-term rentals represent a significant economic engine for our community. To provide concrete evidence, I want to share the annual financial impact of my single property:
Direct Local Economic Contributions (rounded figures):
* Property taxes: approximately $15,000
* General Excise Tax (GET) and Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT): around $16,000
* Annual electricity costs: roughly $6,000
* On-island emergency contact services: about $6,000
* Local cleaning services: approximately $13,000
* Local handyman and remodeling services: around $20,000
* Mortgage interest to First Hawaiian Bank: about $60,000
Total Annual Impact: $136,000 from one property alone.
Beyond these direct expenditures, our guests contribute hundreds of thousands of additional dollars to local restaurants, shops, activity providers, and other businesses throughout their stays.
Housing Conversion Reality:
The assumption that these properties can easily convert to affordable housing overlooks critical realities:
* High operating costs: Monthly HOA fees averaging $1,300
* Elevated property values: Properties valued over $800,000, making them unaffordable for most local Maui residents
* Design limitations: These units lack storage space, garages, and adequate parking for long-term residents
* Financial barriers: Purchase prices and carrying costs exceed what most local residents can afford
These factors make conversion to affordable housing economically unfeasible for most properties. The high cost of these condominiums means they are simply not affordable for the majority of local Maui residents, regardless of their rental status.
Real Estate Market Reality
Phasing out short-term rentals in these properties does not automatically create affordable housing. Given the high property values, HOA fees, and operating costs, these units may simply remain vacant or be purchased by wealthy out-of-state buyers rather than being converted to long-term rentals that local residents can afford.
A Balanced Solution
Rather than eliminating a vital economic sector, I propose leveraging short-term rentals as part of the housing solution:
* Dedicated revenue stream: Direct a portion of STR tax revenue specifically toward affordable housing development
* Public-private partnerships: Collaborate with STR owners to fund affordable housing initiatives
* Targeted development: Use STR-generated revenue to build purpose-designed affordable housing in appropriate locations
Conclusion
The proposed phase-out would eliminate thousands of jobs, reduce tax revenue, and harm our tourism-dependent economy without creating a single unit of affordable housing. Instead, we should harness the economic power of short-term rentals to fund real solutions to our housing challenges.
I respectfully urge you to vote against this legislation and work with our industry to develop a comprehensive approach that preserves economic benefits while addressing housing needs.
Dear members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
As a concerned renter and member of our community, I urge you to support the Minatoya short-term rental (STR) phase-out. This policy is a necessary step toward restoring housing affordability and availability for residents.
Research shows that phasing out short-term rentals can reduce local rents by 6–14%, making a real difference for working families and individuals struggling with the high cost of living. In addition, it would free up much-needed housing inventory currently tied up in the STR market—units that could otherwise provide stable homes for long-term residents.
Renters are being priced out of the communities we work in and contribute to. Prioritizing housing for residents over tourists is a matter of fairness, sustainability, and economic stability.
Please stand with local residents and take action to support the Minatoya STR phase-out. Our community can’t afford to wait.
I oppose the banning of Short Term Vacation rentals. I purchased my condo in 2007 when I was a Pilot for Aloha Airlines and this was my primary residence. In 2008 Aloha Airlines went out of business and I was forced to relocate to the mainland. I started legally short term renting my condo, as my mortgage and maintenance fees were too high and I couldn’t sell because the price to sell was less than what I had paid. I am currently a Pilot for United Airlines and I plan to move back to Maui and am keeping my Home for when I can do this.
The State of Hawaii failed Aloha Airlines and now Hawaiian Airlines has been purchased by Alaska Airlines. No Kokua to save these Iconic Hawaiian Brands. Please focus on the many smaller Maui based businesses that will be lost (restaurants, whale watching boats, cleaning teams) by decreased tourism and the ban of STR’s. Not to mention the thousands of dollars lost in property taxes and TAT taxes generated by vacation rentals. Mahalo for considering housing options that will work for past, present and future Kamaaina.
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
I oppose Bill 9 as drafted and propose that the Council amend Bill 9 to exclude Papakea Oceanfront Resort which the County has historically identified as having A2-H2 zoning.
My husband and I have been going to Maui for 45 years, and for the past 25 years have been fortunate to own a unit at Papakea allowing us to spend more time involved in the culture and community that this beautiful island has to offer. We have completely remodeled our current 1 bedroom unit, as well as our former studio unit, using all local vendors and contractors, and have contributed our time and money to further the economy of the island. We are currently involved in a $34 million project to upgrade the plumbing, using workers from Oahu, with a projected $100,000 assessment for our own unit. Previous assessments that we have incurred include roof replacement, sea wall and spalding repairs on this 52 year old building, usual for ocean front properties of this age.
We also contribute to local charities, fund raiser events and Rebuild Lahaina because we know local families that are still affected by the wildfire both in Lahaina and upcountry and East side.
We ask you to reconsider an exemption for Papakea for the following reasons:
Papakea was initially marketed and sold as a legal vacation rental property before any zoning restrictions limited transient vacation rentals in apartment zoned properties. This is how we purchased it.
Papakea owners have been operating legal vacation rentals for almost fifty years.
Papakea has never been workforce housing so Papakea is not an example of a property that converted from workforce housing to transient vacation rental use.
The majority of units at Papakea are under 600 square feet and the property has limited parking. Our unit is 540 sq.ft, and is allowed 1 parking space, which is usually hard to find.Papakea is not in a residential neighborhood and is located alongside a long stretch of hotel-zoned properties and directly adjacent to multiple commercially-zoned properties.
Unlike apartment buildings designed for long-term residential use, Papakea has a front desk, an activity concierge, shared activity space, and numerous other common resort amenities.
We as owners purchased our condo at Papakea with the reasonable expectation that short-term rentals were legal based on ordinances as far back as 1989, and as recent as 2022.
In reliance on the Maui County ordinances and published documents, Hawaii state law, and constitutional protections, owners invested in costly renovations, furnishings, and long-term financial commitments such as mortgages that make any phase out of short-term rental right offensive of each buyer's investment-backed expectations.
Papakea's resort operations provide full-time, benefited, employment for 35 local resident employees; some have worked at the property for over 17 years; some started in entry-level positions and worked into supervisory roles.
Papakea supports a wide variety of local trade professionals including pest control, HVAC, painting, plumbing, electrical, general contracting, masonry, tile and flooring, fitness instructors, entertainers, and tree trimming.
Many small businesses owned and operated by local residents from the Maui community rely on Papakea short-term rentals including housekeepers, handymen, on-island agents, and contractors. These service providers set their own rates, work hours, select their own clients, work conditions and standard operating procedures. Shutting down short-term rentals at Papakea means telling local entrepreneurs that worked hard to build a small business that they need to just go get a job somewhere else to make less money, have less flexibility, and be subject to oppressive corporate policies.
Papakea STRs support the State of Hawaii and County of Maui through payment of property taxes (many at the short-term rental rate), Transient Accommodations Tax, General Excise Tax, and Maui County Transient Accommodations Tax.
Papakea guests support many small businesses on the island including restaurants, food trucks, tour operators, activities, state parks, the national park, and shops.
Papakea owners and guests regularly participate in community activities including volunteering at beach cleanups, Maui Humane Society, the hospital, and many other local organizations, and contribute to local philanthropic and cultural efforts.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Jackie and Frank Dono
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, Apartment E301
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony. I am writing in opposition to Bill 9.
I am the General Manager of Ka’anapali Royal, a condo complex that is part of the Ka'anapali Resort area, sitting on the 16th green of Ka’anapali golf course and a ¼ mile from the Whaler’s Village. Ka'anapali Royal is in a master planned resort destination area. This means it is intended for use by visitors as a destination for their travel. We are members of the Ka'anapali Operations Association of the Ka'anapali Beach Resort and Ka'anapali Royal is required by the KOA to pay a portion of its AOAO budget to the Ka'anapali Operations Association. Our 105-condo complex houses a combination of full-time, part-time residents, long and short-term rentals. We are also considered a condo hotel by many lenders based upon the distribution and number of part-time residents and short-term rentals to the number of full-time residents and long-term rentals.
We employ nine staff, and our revenue primarily comes from AOAO fees and short-term rental parking revenue. Our Board strives to keep the AOAO fees as low as possible recognizing that higher fees impact our residents, some of whom are fixed income seniors. Unfortunately, our costs are increasing significantly because of the age of our property and subsequent needed repairs, such as our $2.5 million roofing replacement that we are doing this year. Our insurance has also increased 300% as a direct result of the fires.
Losing STR rights will have a significant impact to our operating revenue - requiring either job loss or significant increases in AOAO dues by the loss of short term rental parking revenue. But it’s more than economic factors - we are in a tourist zone and believe that our ability to welcome tourists to our property in the Ka'anapali Resort benefits all of our residents, neighboring restaurants and shops.
I recommend the denial of Bill 9.
Respectfully
Justin Spanko
General Manager
Ka’anapali Royal
I am respectfully request an amendment to Bill 9 as drafted and propose that the Council amend Bill 9 to exclude Papakea Oceanfront Resort which the County has historically identified as having A2-H2 zoning.
This property was not designed as a residence and does not have the amenities to be suitable permanent housing. This property was designed and permitted to be a legal vacation rental. It has been a rental for 50 years. Moreover, our partners including Maui Tom cleaners, CPR-ac-HVAC, Arrow Glass, Hale Kai Electric, Lincoln Construction and Paradise Screens many other members of our team rely on this business to keep their business alive. Further they have made lifetime commitments to serve our community. Losing the vacation rentals would mean starting over for them. We simply would not have the funds to address remodel and upkeep in our current state.
Mahalo,
Gary and Donita Mariegard
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, #C 106, Lahaina, HI 96761
Dear Chair, Vice Chair, and Committee members:
My name is Richard Blackman and I own two short term rentals on Maui. I'm writing to express strong opposition to the proposed legislation to eliminate short term rentals. As a STR owner we and our many return guest contribute in many ways to the Maui economy. We purchase groceries, rent cars and gas, frequent restaurants and purchase from craft fairs and patronize local entertainment . Additionally we hire cleaning services, management company, rental company, handymen and other local services. The elimination of STR will have a monumental financial and social impact on Maui. Many "mom & pop" establishments who depend of the frequency of renters will go out of business. The likes of Papi's Ohana, coffee shops, farmer's market all thrive on "new" patron's frequency. Not only will their establishments be in jeopardy, but their employees will also be out of work.
The U of H has documented the financial, economic, and social loss the elimination of STR all have on Maui. What the report failed to identify is the additional loss of Maui County Tax charged on transient guests.
Our's, like many condos. were built and coded as "condohotel". They were not built nor are they suited for permanent housing. They are generally small (600 sq. ft), no heat, now A/C, no storage space, one car parking slot per unit.
Consider the financial and social impact elimination of STR will have on Maui and local residences who work in the industry.
I am asking you to VOTE NO on the elimination of short term rentals.
Mahalo,
Richard Blackman
4957 L. Honoapiilani Rd. Maui
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
We oppose Bill 9 as drafted and propose that the Council amend Bill 9 to exclude Papakea Oceanfront Resort which the County has historically identified as having A2-H2 zoning.
Background on Papakea
• Papakea was initially marketed and sold as a legal vacation rental property before any zoning restrictions limited transient vacation rentals in apartment zoned properties.
• Papakea owners have been operating legal vacation rentals for almost fifty years.
• Papakea has never been workforce housing so Papakea is not an example of a property that converted from workforce housing to transient vacation rental use.
• The majority of units at Papakea are under 600 square feet and the property has limited parking.
• Papakea is not in a residential neighborhood and is located alongside a long stretch of hotel-zoned properties and directly adjacent to multiple commercially-zoned properties.
• Unlike apartment buildings designed for long-term residential use, Papakea has a front desk, an activity concierge, shared activity space, and numerous other common resort amenities.
• Owners purchased condos at Papakea with the reasonable expectation that short-term rentals were legal based on ordinances as far back as 1989, and as recent as 2022.
• In reliance on the Maui County ordinances and published documents, Hawaii state law, and constitutional protections, owners invested in costly renovations, furnishings, and long-term financial commitments such as mortgages that make any phase out of short-term rental right offensive of each buyer’s investment-backed expectations.
Papakea’s Contributions to the Community
• Papakea’s resort operations provide full-time, benefited, employment for 35 local resident employees; some have worked at the property for over 17 years; some started in entry-level positions and worked into supervisory roles.
• Papakea supports a wide variety of local trade professionals including pest control, HVAC, painting, plumbing, electrical, general contracting, masonry, tile and flooring, fitness instructors, entertainers, and tree trimming.
Individual Owner Contributions to the Community
• Many small businesses owned and operated by local residents from the Maui community rely on Papakea short-term rentals including housekeepers, handymen, on-island agents, and contractors. These service providers set their own rates, work hours, select their own clients, work conditions and standard operating procedures. Shutting down short-term rentals at Papakea means telling local entrepreneurs that worked hard to build a small business that they need to just go get a job somewhere else to make less money, have less flexibility, and be subject to oppressive corporate policies. Currently, we are employing and have paid well over $100,000 to contractors, sub-contractors, day laborers, to support our recent construction project.
• Papakea STRs support the State of Hawaii and County of Maui through payment of property taxes (many at the short-term rental rate), Transient Accommodations Tax, General Excise Tax, and Maui County Transient Accommodations Tax.
• Papakea guests support many small businesses on the island including restaurants, food trucks, tour operators, activities, state parks, the national park, and shops.
• Papakea owners and guests regularly participate in community activities including volunteering at beach cleanups, Maui Humane Society, the hospital, and many other local organizations, and contribute to local philanthropic and cultural efforts.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Charles & Sharon Cerini
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, #D104, Lahaina, HI 96761
Hello,
I respectfully oppose this bill. The Kaanapali Royal is one of the buildings in question. It is in the Kaanapali resort zone and part of the resort plan. STR in this area support many local workers. Families often prefer staying in a home-like unit instead of hotels. Please keep this area available for tourism that supports the local economy.
Thank you for your consideration.
Send these haoles back! We only want to keep what's convenient! Give me my Yoda, my government subsidies, my free food, my free check and now my free housing. Yes! It's the main landers fault I am a xenophobic racist! It's their fault I never got an education, it's their fault we choose drugs over jobs! Let's take their units, we deserve them!
I live on Maui and work directly in the short-term rental industry, alongside a team of local professionals — housekeepers, handymen, guest coordinators, and service staff. We’re not a corporation. We’re not backed by investors. We are local workers trying to make an honest living in the place we call home.
To many, this bill may seem like it’s just about regulating STRs. But for those of us on the ground, it’s much more personal. It targets our livelihoods — the day-to-day work that allows us to keep roofs over our heads and food on the table. This is how we support our families and contribute to the island economy.
The idea that hotels can replace what STRs offer our community is deeply flawed. Hotel profits don’t stay here. They go to shareholders who have no real connection to Maui. STR income, when kept in the hands of local residents and small operators, flows back into the community — to paychecks, to rent, to local businesses, and to the people who actually live here.
This bill, if passed, risks erasing years of work and dedication. It would mean fewer opportunities for people like me who have built something from the ground up — not out of greed, but out of necessity and love for this island.
We’re not looking for special treatment. We’re asking not to be overlooked — not to be swept aside while outside interests continue to shape decisions that impact us most.
Please consider the real consequences this bill would have on everyday people who live and work here. We want to remain a part of Maui’s future, not be pushed out of it.
Aloha Council Members,
I am a full time Maui Resident for more than 18 years and am very much against the forced phase out of so many short term rentals here on Maui.
It is important to remember that, even if these properties loose their ability to operate as short term rentals, there is no guarantee that they would then become affordable long term housing. And furthermore, the Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawaii released an independent economic analysis of the proposal and It clearly outlined the significant reduction of visitor spending (about $900M per year) that would lead to the loss of thousands of local jobs, and significantly reduce the county’s tax revenue. I truly beleive these impacts would be more likely to hurt the people it intends to help. Not to mention I think it is just morally and ethically wrong to intentionally cause harm to so many property owners when there are other solutions that would be so much more effective. Like building more affordable housing.
Please vote no on Bill 9. It would only force more local residents to leave the island.
Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration of what is truly best for All of Maui's people.
Jesse Wald
I am a Kapuna Senior, retired Minister and living on Social Security at 78 years. The wait for Senior Housing is 8 years, even though I have filed application to all available senior residences since 2018, and still it is a 8 years wait! This is serious!
There are many places sitting idle by wealthy people who come once or twice a year! I purpose That a Bill be initiated that the owner of location must live in it, especially for those who have so many investment properties they rent at high prices and continuing to raise the rents higher & higher! While, we the locals, do not have housing and some becoming Homeless due to prices and availability! PLEASE CHANGE THIS BY SUPPORTING THIS BILL THAT WILL CREATE MORE HOUSING, ESPECIALLY FOR SENIORS!
Mahalo Nui, Patricia Gardner - Haiku , Maui
Aloha Council Members,
My name is Gina Lani and I am writing to you not as a big investor or a corporation — but as a person born and raised on Maui. I am a resident, a worker, and someone who loves this island deeply. I make my living in this industry — I work hard every day as part of a local team of handymen, housekeepers, booking agents, and service providers. This is not just a job. This is my livelihood. This is how I survive. This is how I give back to my community.
We are not pro-STR — we are pro-local.
This bill, while it may appear to target short-term rentals, really targets the lives of local residents like me who depend on this work. We are the backbone of this industry, and we are asking — begging — not to be forgotten.
Hotels are not the answer. The profits from those businesses leave the island. The shareholders don’t live here. They don’t care about our roads, our schools, or our grocery bills. But we do. I do. When STR income stays in the hands of local families, it supports us. It keeps our kids in school, our elders cared for, and our culture alive.
This bill, as it stands, would take away the opportunities I’ve built with my own two hands. Please don’t take that from me. I’ve worked too hard, and I love Maui too much, to be pushed aside in favor of outside interests.
This is not corporate vs. STR. This is corporate vs. us. We are the people. We are the workers. We are the community. We live here. We love here. We serve here.
I am standing up not just for myself, but for my coworkers, my neighbors, my friends — all of us who depend on this work to live with dignity in the place we call home.
Please don’t take away the few options we have left. We are asking you to stand with locals — not against us.
With deepest respect,
Maui Resident, Local Worker, Community Member
STR condo's are like staying in a hotel room, maybe some people would like living in a hotel room, kids could play in the hallways? They could board their pets/bikes, or give them away, condo's built for short term rentals have strict rules..remember all the complaints that made the news from the fire victims staying in the short-term rentals, they didn't like all the rules. I wouldn't want to live in a hotel room. Condo's are not affordable housing. Who affords $1,900 just in condo dues, not even people that own and live in a condo can keep affording the ever increasing condo dues. Not to mention a mortgage? No free parking? I've owned and supported the economy here on Maui for 20 years, and now you want to take my property rights away? I can't sell the condo, It's been on the market over a year. The economy on Maui has been destroyed, and now you want to continue to take away the livelihoods of people that work here on Maui? Businesses here employ many people and are suffering, take their businesses away and the jobs they've created, they'll all leave you won't need housing. People will leave to find jobs out of this state. People that stay in hotels don't patronize local restaurants, nor big box stores, nor grocery stores, they don't go to Luau's outside of the hotels.. So destroy the businesses that support employment and taxes here on Maui as well? For what reason? Have any of you ever seen the buildings that you are talking about taking property rights away from? People that own 2nd homes in the A-1 & A-2 apartment zones also pay STR taxes based on Maui Countys highest and Best use.. So basically Maui County is admitting the condo's do have multiple uses.
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee
Bill 9 will bring economic ruin to Kihei and Maui, thus I strongly oppose this bill!. There have been many economic studies around the loss of income and jobs. Your own UHERO study puts it bluntly:
Here’s the conservative Uhero estimates of damage:
– 💸 $900 million in lost visitor spending
– 🏡 $60 million less in property tax revenue
– 🍽️ 20% drop in restaurant revenue
Bill will devastate the Mom and Pop businesses and strain Maui finances for essential services. Why would one be so blinded by the economic calamity that this will bring? Many of the businesses and restaurants will go out of business in Kihei. So much economic destruction and so many people put out of business for so little gain. Mayor Bissen touts this is all in the name of affordable housing but yet it's being reported that only 8% of the Minatoya properties will be willing to convert to long term housing. Why will most not long term rent? Because Hawaii has one of the worst landlord protection laws in the country. It would be almost impossible to evict anyone if they don't pay the rent or are disruptive tenants.
Now for those that will rent long term the only way possible if the rent is subsidized as HOA fees run on average $900 to $1600 a month plus yearly assessments. HOA fees on top of mortgages and insurance means most carrying costs are $4500-$6000. Special Assessments have been yearly and run $1-$3k a year. It has been reported in all the economic papers that the average income household in Maui is $90k a year which would equate to the max of $2500 one would have to spend on rent or a mortgage. There is no way an owner of any of these condos are going to subsidize the difference. And if one is forced to sell….who wins? Those who want a second home in Maui! What kills me is Maui Government had many many years to build affordable housing and neglected doing so…So what is the easy fix? Going after someone else's property. SHAMEFUL! Majority of the Minatoya condos have been allowed and codified into law to STR for close to 40 years! Our condo in the Maui Vista complex was built specifically for vacation rentals. IT says so in our Horizontal Regime and in fact was ran by Aston Vacation Rentals back in the 1980s and 1990s as a vacation destination. We have the marketing brochure that they used to advertise Maui Vista as a vacation tourist destination. The front desk used to check in and be there for a resource to guests is still there to this day.
Bill 9 is being touted as a need for emergency housing yet a 5 year amortization period will be given. Wouldn't it better for an emergency to just build housing now? I understand Maui needs affordable housing. Housing costs have gone up drastically everywhere and most states are building to accommodate. Maui can build its way out of this. But the way it is being handled really leads me to believe it is more about either wanting 1. less tourists or 2.the hotels here on island trying to push competition out. And once again the mom and pops of this world get the shaft. What is so sad is most tourists DO NOT WANT TO STAY IN A HOTEL and they won't.. They will go somewhere else like Costa Rica or the Bahamas. This will be devastating to Maui which tourism makes up .70 cents on the dollar.
In closing I am worried what will happen to the people I have worked with for many years. This will devastate them and I am sure they will have to leave the island. Kihei will become like any other city in the US that has had its economic life blood taken away and poverty will reign!
Please vote no on Bill 9. The only winner are the Hotels.
Statement in Opposition to Maui Bill 9
We urge the Council to reconsider this measure, invest the time to fully understand the impact on Maui over the next few years, and work collaboratively with community stakeholders, including economists, business leaders, Native Hawaiian organizations, and environmental advocates, to develop a long term plan, not a quick knee jerk reaction, to ensure Maui's economy, housing issues, and cultural preservation can be enhanced with thoughtful, well managed, effective alternatives.
We strongly oppose Maui Bill 9 as currently proposed due to its potentially devastating economic consequences for the island’s already fragile economy. According to a detailed analysis by the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO), the bill could lead to an alarming $900 million annual decline in visitor spending, a blow that would reverberate through every sector of our community.
The same UHERO report also projects the loss of approximately 1,900 local jobs. These are not just statistics—they represent real families, workers, and small businesses that rely on a balanced, responsible tourism economy to survive.
While we fully support the need to address over-tourism, the need for housing solutions, and preserving Maui’s natural and cultural resources, we believe that Bill 9 takes an overly blunt approach that risks long-term harm to local livelihoods without clear evidence it will deliver the intended environmental or community benefits. Sustainable solutions should enhance both economic stability and resource stewardship—not force our community to choose between one or the other.
Terri Murai
June 6, 2025
Committee Members
Subject: SHORT-TERM RENTAL PHASEOUT, BILL 9 (2025
Honorable Committee Members, my name is Sheila Cheetham and I have been an owner of a condo at Maui Vista since May 1995, 30 years. My late husband and I purchased the condo so that our daughter and grandson had a place to live when they moved to this beautiful island. We moved here permanently 12 years ago and purchased a home in Kihei. Eventally my daughter and grandson moved out of the condo when she remarried, but stayed on the island. Our daughter is currently a housekeeper for a number of condos, including some in Puamana. She was working there when the Lahaina fires happened and was fortunate enough to get out late in the day as the situation became dire. Our grandson is now grown and is a public health nurse on Maui, his wife, who was born here, is an elementary teacher and they have two children. Another grandson, who was also born here, works small construction and has a wife and two children. I currently do daycare for two of my two-year old great-grandchildren so that their parents can work. Maui is our home.
Without short-term rentals, our daughter will be out of work, our grandson’s job will be impacted, and they may have to move off island.
Our friends and guests love this island. They love to go to the beach, attend luaus, go on hikes, eat at the local restaurants, visit the aquarium. They rent cars, take tours, and many friends and family come back year after year. THEY SPEND THEIR MONEY HERE, NOT SOMEWHERE ELSE like Mexico or the Caribbean or Florida! Here on Maui where they feel safe with their families.
Many cannot afford to stay in luxury hotels. They are families with children, and they love this island.
I implore you to reconsider transitioning STR because of the impact on the economy and the impact on many of its residents who will lose jobs because of the lack of visitors.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my concerns.
Sheila Cheetham
288 Kawailani Circle
Kihei, HI 96753
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
I oppose Bill 9 as drafted and propose that the Council amend Bill 9 to exclude Papakea Oceanfront Resort which the County has historically identified as having A2-H2 zoning.
Background on Papakea
Papakea was initially marketed and sold as a legal vacation rental property before any zoning restrictions limited transient vacation rentals in apartment zoned properties.
Papakea owners have been operating legal vacation rentals for almost fifty years.
Papakea has never been workforce housing so Papakea is not an example of a property that converted from workforce housing to transient vacation rental use.
The majority of units at Papakea are under 600 square feet and the property has limited parking and storage.
Papakea is not in a residential neighborhood and is located alongside a long stretch of hotel-zoned properties and directly adjacent to multiple hotel and commercially zoned properties.
Unlike apartment buildings designed for long-term residential use, Papakea has a front desk, an activity concierge, shared activity space, and numerous other common resort amenities.
Owners purchased condos at Papakea with the reasonable expectation that short-term rentals were legal based on ordinances as far back as 1989, and as recent as 2022.
In reliance on the Maui County ordinances and published documents, Hawaii state law, and constitutional protections, owners invested in costly renovations, furnishings, and long-term financial commitments such as mortgages that make any phase out of short-term rental right offensive of each buyer’s investment-backed expectations.
Papakea’s Contributions to the Community
Papakea’s resort operations provide full-time, benefited, employment for 35 local resident employees; some have worked at the property for over 17 years; some started in entry-level positions and worked into supervisory roles.
Papakea supports a wide variety of local trade professionals including pest control, HVAC, painting, plumbing, electrical, general contracting, masonry, tile and flooring, fitness instructors, entertainers, and tree trimming.
Individual Owner Contributions to the Community
Many small businesses owned and operated by local residents from the Maui community rely on Papakea short-term rentals including housekeepers, handymen, on-island agents, and contractors. These service providers set their own rates, work hours, select their own clients, work conditions and standard operating procedures. Shutting down short-term rentals at Papakea means telling local entrepreneurs that worked hard to build a small business that they need to just go get a job somewhere else to make less money, have less flexibility, and be subject to oppressive corporate policies.
Papakea STRs support the State of Hawaii and County of Maui through payment of property taxes (the majority at the short-term rental rate),
Transient Accommodations Tax, General Excise Tax, and Maui County Transient Accommodations Tax.
Papakea guests support many small businesses on the island including restaurants, food trucks, tour operators, activities, state parks, the national park, and shops.
Papakea owners and guests regularly participate in community activities including volunteering at beach cleanups, Maui Humane Society, the hospital, and many other local organizations, and contribute to local philanthropic nd cultural efforts.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Keith Hyde
Papakea Oceanfront Resort
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, Unit H206
My husband and I are against the proposed STR ban. Although we are located in a condominium that has long term rental only, we do not believe the city or mayor has the right to make this type of decision without the vote of all the people of Maui. Having family and friends visit, the costs of vacationing on Maui has risen significantly and it appears that the pay for workers has not increased to meet the demand. We believe building affordable housing is the answer to some of the housing issues. Some places give residents a significant discount for renting or buying. We support finding alternative options.
Dear Chair and Members of the Maui County Council,
I am the owner of a legally operating short-term rental property in Maui County. I am writing to respectfully oppose the proposed legislation to phase out over 7,000 legal Transient Vacation Rentals in A-1 and A-2 Apartment Zoning Districts.
Economic Impact of Short-Term Rentals:
Short-term rentals represent a significant economic engine for our community. To provide concrete evidence, I want to share the annual financial impact of my single property:
Direct Local Economic Contributions (rounded figures):
* Property taxes: approximately $15,000
* General Excise Tax (GET) and Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT): around $16,000
* Annual electricity costs: roughly $6,000
* On-island emergency contact services: about $6,000
* Local cleaning services: approximately $13,000
* Local handyman and remodeling services: around $20,000
* Mortgage interest to First Hawaiian Bank: about $60,000
Total Annual Impact: $136,000 from one property alone.
Beyond these direct expenditures, our guests contribute hundreds of thousands of additional dollars to local restaurants, shops, activity providers, and other businesses throughout their stays.
Housing Conversion Reality:
The assumption that these properties can easily convert to affordable housing overlooks critical realities:
* High operating costs: Monthly HOA fees averaging $1,300
* Elevated property values: Properties valued over $800,000, making them unaffordable for most local Maui residents
* Design limitations: These units lack storage space, garages, and adequate parking for long-term residents
* Financial barriers: Purchase prices and carrying costs exceed what most local residents can afford
These factors make conversion to affordable housing economically unfeasible for most properties. The high cost of these condominiums means they are simply not affordable for the majority of local Maui residents, regardless of their rental status.
Real Estate Market Reality
Phasing out short-term rentals in these properties does not automatically create affordable housing. Given the high property values, HOA fees, and operating costs, these units may simply remain vacant or be purchased by wealthy out-of-state buyers rather than being converted to long-term rentals that local residents can afford.
A Balanced Solution
Rather than eliminating a vital economic sector, I propose leveraging short-term rentals as part of the housing solution:
* Dedicated revenue stream: Direct a portion of STR tax revenue specifically toward affordable housing development
* Public-private partnerships: Collaborate with STR owners to fund affordable housing initiatives
* Targeted development: Use STR-generated revenue to build purpose-designed affordable housing in appropriate locations
Conclusion
The proposed phase-out would eliminate thousands of jobs, reduce tax revenue, and harm our tourism-dependent economy without creating a single unit of affordable housing. Instead, we should harness the economic power of short-term rentals to fund real solutions to our housing challenges.
I respectfully urge you to vote against this legislation and work with our industry to develop a comprehensive approach that preserves economic benefits while addressing housing needs.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Bo
Dear members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
As a concerned renter and member of our community, I urge you to support the Minatoya short-term rental (STR) phase-out. This policy is a necessary step toward restoring housing affordability and availability for residents.
Research shows that phasing out short-term rentals can reduce local rents by 6–14%, making a real difference for working families and individuals struggling with the high cost of living. In addition, it would free up much-needed housing inventory currently tied up in the STR market—units that could otherwise provide stable homes for long-term residents.
Renters are being priced out of the communities we work in and contribute to. Prioritizing housing for residents over tourists is a matter of fairness, sustainability, and economic stability.
Please stand with local residents and take action to support the Minatoya STR phase-out. Our community can’t afford to wait.
Sincerely,
Jordan Hocker
Kula, HI
I oppose the banning of Short Term Vacation rentals. I purchased my condo in 2007 when I was a Pilot for Aloha Airlines and this was my primary residence. In 2008 Aloha Airlines went out of business and I was forced to relocate to the mainland. I started legally short term renting my condo, as my mortgage and maintenance fees were too high and I couldn’t sell because the price to sell was less than what I had paid. I am currently a Pilot for United Airlines and I plan to move back to Maui and am keeping my Home for when I can do this.
The State of Hawaii failed Aloha Airlines and now Hawaiian Airlines has been purchased by Alaska Airlines. No Kokua to save these Iconic Hawaiian Brands. Please focus on the many smaller Maui based businesses that will be lost (restaurants, whale watching boats, cleaning teams) by decreased tourism and the ban of STR’s. Not to mention the thousands of dollars lost in property taxes and TAT taxes generated by vacation rentals. Mahalo for considering housing options that will work for past, present and future Kamaaina.
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
I oppose Bill 9 as drafted and propose that the Council amend Bill 9 to exclude Papakea Oceanfront Resort which the County has historically identified as having A2-H2 zoning.
My husband and I have been going to Maui for 45 years, and for the past 25 years have been fortunate to own a unit at Papakea allowing us to spend more time involved in the culture and community that this beautiful island has to offer. We have completely remodeled our current 1 bedroom unit, as well as our former studio unit, using all local vendors and contractors, and have contributed our time and money to further the economy of the island. We are currently involved in a $34 million project to upgrade the plumbing, using workers from Oahu, with a projected $100,000 assessment for our own unit. Previous assessments that we have incurred include roof replacement, sea wall and spalding repairs on this 52 year old building, usual for ocean front properties of this age.
We also contribute to local charities, fund raiser events and Rebuild Lahaina because we know local families that are still affected by the wildfire both in Lahaina and upcountry and East side.
We ask you to reconsider an exemption for Papakea for the following reasons:
Papakea was initially marketed and sold as a legal vacation rental property before any zoning restrictions limited transient vacation rentals in apartment zoned properties. This is how we purchased it.
Papakea owners have been operating legal vacation rentals for almost fifty years.
Papakea has never been workforce housing so Papakea is not an example of a property that converted from workforce housing to transient vacation rental use.
The majority of units at Papakea are under 600 square feet and the property has limited parking. Our unit is 540 sq.ft, and is allowed 1 parking space, which is usually hard to find.Papakea is not in a residential neighborhood and is located alongside a long stretch of hotel-zoned properties and directly adjacent to multiple commercially-zoned properties.
Unlike apartment buildings designed for long-term residential use, Papakea has a front desk, an activity concierge, shared activity space, and numerous other common resort amenities.
We as owners purchased our condo at Papakea with the reasonable expectation that short-term rentals were legal based on ordinances as far back as 1989, and as recent as 2022.
In reliance on the Maui County ordinances and published documents, Hawaii state law, and constitutional protections, owners invested in costly renovations, furnishings, and long-term financial commitments such as mortgages that make any phase out of short-term rental right offensive of each buyer's investment-backed expectations.
Papakea's resort operations provide full-time, benefited, employment for 35 local resident employees; some have worked at the property for over 17 years; some started in entry-level positions and worked into supervisory roles.
Papakea supports a wide variety of local trade professionals including pest control, HVAC, painting, plumbing, electrical, general contracting, masonry, tile and flooring, fitness instructors, entertainers, and tree trimming.
Many small businesses owned and operated by local residents from the Maui community rely on Papakea short-term rentals including housekeepers, handymen, on-island agents, and contractors. These service providers set their own rates, work hours, select their own clients, work conditions and standard operating procedures. Shutting down short-term rentals at Papakea means telling local entrepreneurs that worked hard to build a small business that they need to just go get a job somewhere else to make less money, have less flexibility, and be subject to oppressive corporate policies.
Papakea STRs support the State of Hawaii and County of Maui through payment of property taxes (many at the short-term rental rate), Transient Accommodations Tax, General Excise Tax, and Maui County Transient Accommodations Tax.
Papakea guests support many small businesses on the island including restaurants, food trucks, tour operators, activities, state parks, the national park, and shops.
Papakea owners and guests regularly participate in community activities including volunteering at beach cleanups, Maui Humane Society, the hospital, and many other local organizations, and contribute to local philanthropic and cultural efforts.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Jackie and Frank Dono
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, Apartment E301