I urge you to not pass this bill. It is already showing the ill effects of what taking away our tourism dollars in the last year. it has shown how hard our economy is hurting without the added tourist spending, the loss of jobs for the workers that rely on the industry, and the collateral damage that it is doing for the businesses that rely on them. Maui is a tourism based economy that will not change overnight if that is the goal of the government. The local people cannot afford to buy or rent most of these units as the cost to carry them is higher than what the locals will or can afford to pay for rent or ownership once you factor in the higher HOA fees, property taxes, and maintenance fees. Layer those fees on top of a mortgage and it is just an unrealistic scenario. If the goal is to provide locals with more housing options, then allow more building for that purpose, allow some rezoning to allow more homes and provide funds for infrastructure.
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair U’u-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
Papakea Oceanfront Resort has A2-H2 zoning, and as such should be excluded from Bill 9.
I oppose Bill 9 as the negative economic impact to Maui and Hawaii will be significant.
Thank you,
Duane R. Smith
Co-Owner, Papakea Unit D-402
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road
operated under long-standing county approvals and legal frameworks. Abruptly changing the rules threatens property rights and could result in costly legal challenges for the county.
The exemption for timeshares appears arbitrary and unfair, as both timeshares and vacation rentals serve visitors and often exist in the same complexes. This inconsistency further erodes trust in the process and the fairness of the legislation.
A Call for Balanced Solutions
I respectfully urge the Council to consider alternative approaches that address the housing crisis without causing collateral damage to Maui’s economy and property owners. Options such as tiered tax increases on short-term rentals, auctioning limited permits, or incentivizing voluntary conversion to long-term rentals could provide meaningful results while preserving economic stability.
Let’s work together to create policies that expand affordable housing, protect property rights, and sustain Maui’s unique community and economy for generations to come.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Bill 9 will hurt the Maui economy due to lost taxes and jobs. Our unit with small mortgage, taxes (6,000) year, HOA fees (1230 month) Electric ( $400+ month average) and recent assessment of $38,000 does not represent affordable 'workforce housing. Kamaole Sands was not built as workforce housing either. Please do not pass this bill that will not solve the housing issues. Mahalo
Chair, Vice Chair, and Committee Members,
I own a property sometimes available as an STR in Maui county and I oppose Bill 9 (2025). Attempts to dictate how owners can utilize their properties in what appears to be a knee-jerk response to a tragic situation is not a solution. The Minatoya List of properties is not a one-word categorization of living spaces. It is a heterogeneous list of living spaces where sweeping measures to do away with previously established guidelines need to be considered more strategically and carefully.
It also doesn’t pencil out to today’s standards. According to the UHERO analysis 75% of the 63,000 housing units are local housing and only half of the 13,000 STR-type units are on the Minatoya List. So returning the Minatoya List inventory to the LTR market (assuming they even would return) is only a potential 12% increase in inventory. Further, of units on the Minatoya List, 72% are listed under 1000 square feet with studies showing 600-700 square feet as being a comfortable amount of living space for a single person and family’s space being generally higher (2,000-3,000 square feet for a family of four.) Sparshott, WSJ 2016.
Economically, if Minatoya List properties hit the market in a “flood” as some hope, unaddressed are additional costs of simply owning one of these properties. HOA expenses for some of these properties have doubled in just the past 5 years. Failing ocean walls and shoreline surveys that don’t allow repair or replacement, mandated county infrastructure improvements paid by properties and slow or even timely permitting are expensive. Personally HOA dues and assessments at my property have been well over $2,000.00/month, being less than half that in 2020. This does not included utilities, mortgage and taxes.
With the average salary on Maui listed at $37K/year and with a 28% gross monthly income recommendation on a mortgage that leaves just under 11K/year or under $1000 a month to spend on housing. Take a lower-value Minatoya list property at $500K, knock 40% off it with reaction to the STR ban and with 20% down, a 270K loan for 30 years at 6% that is still $1,620.00/month. How is what the council is trying to do going to help going to effectuate anything with those numbers? Even if my numbers are off by 10%, I’ve been generous, getting rid of the provisions provided by the Minatoya List does not appear to be a successful path. There has to be another, more comprehensive way.
Respectfully,
Jason Feinberg
the Pikake A4
jason@jsfeinbergconsulting.com
Bill 9 will hurt us more than it will help.
Maui is at a crossroads — a place where deep aloha for the land, the people and the way of life meets the urgent need for change. While Bill 9 aims to return housing to local families by eliminating legal short-term rentals (STRs), it’s important to pause and ask: Is this really the solution our community needs?
For many, the answer is no — and not because I oppose affordable housing, but because I care deeply about protecting the fabric of Maui, including the rights of longtime residents, working families, and small local businesses who will be unintentionally hurt.
I have and will continue to advocate for affordable housing solutions like shorter permit times. increase of ADUs, Cottage Home Starter Communities so we have more housing ladder that will help with supply/demand and of creating better jobs for local people that pay a better wage.
These are a few of the reasons I am opposed to the Bill.
1. It Unfairly Punishes Lawful Property Owners
Many of the STR owners affected by Bill 9 are not large corporations or outside investors. They're local residents, kupuna, or small families who played by the rules, paid taxes, and built their lives around what was, until now, a legal use of their property. Even is they are mainland owners they have paid vacation rental taxes in good faith to the governement who is now pulling possibly their retirement from them. I am against the us vs the mainland that has crept into this conversation and is poisoning ideas for solutions.
To strip away those rights after years of compliance feels like a betrayal. It sends a chilling message: even when you do everything right, you’re not safe from government overreach. For families who rely on rental income to survive on island, this is more than policy — it's personal, painful, and destabilizing.
2. It Could Devastate Maui’s Working Economy
Per the UHERO study this isn't a question it is based in ecomomic facts.
Short-term rentals are more than just a place for visitors to stay — they are the livelihood for thousands of local workers: cleaners, landscapers, handymen, property managers, and small business owners. Bill 9 threatens to wipe out an entire layer of the local economy that supports Maui’s working class. It will affect our local restaurants and shop owners as well as their workers too along with airport employees. The list goes on. Cutting off this income, especially after the Lahaina fire and ongoing economic recovery efforts, could have devastating ripple effects. We risk pushing more locals into financial insecurity, or even off the island altogether — the very thing we say we’re trying to prevent.
3. It Won’t Solve the Housing Crisis the Way People Hope
Maui’s housing crisis is real — and heartbreaking. But turning legal vacation rentals into long-term housing doesn’t guarantee that local families will benefit. Most STRs are in areas that are already priced far beyond the reach of most residents — beachfront condos, tourist zones, or older complexes not built for year-round families. These units often have high HOA fees, no storage, limited parking, or outdated infrastructure. Removing their STR status may not make them affordable — it might just make them empty. There are affordable condos on the market now that are not being purchased. The council needs to ask themselves why?
I believe as my clients have told me that they are afraid if this Bill passes they will lose their jobs and can't trust to purchase now.
4. It Opens the Door to Legal and Ethical Challenges
Bill 9 may set a dangerous precedent by retroactively stripping legally obtained rights. Beyond the legal risk of lawsuits (which could cost the county dearly), there’s a deeper question of ethics: is it pono to take away something people were promised they could count on? In Hawaiian values, fairness and kuleana go hand in hand. Revoking permits could feel like the county is breaking its word to many who acted in good faith, undermining trust in local government.
5. It’s Dividing Us, When We Need Unity Most
This issue is tearing at the heart of our community — neighbor against neighbor, kamaʻāina against newcomer, local families against working hosts. But the truth is, we all love Maui. We all want our keiki to have a future here. We all feel the pressure of change and the weight of responsibility. Bill 9 doesn’t offer a unifying solution. It’s a sweeping, emotional response to a complex problem that requires thoughtful, inclusive dialogue — not a rush to erase livelihoods, housing options, and economic balance.
There Is a Better Way
Maui absolutely needs more housing for local residents. But there are better tools to get us there — enforce existing illegal STR bans, incentivize affordable housing development, create programs that actually help working families stay on island like the downpayment assistance program. Let’s choose solutions that are pono, protect all people, and build a future that feels right for all of Maui. Thank you.
Sincerely, Regina Duncan
Testimony for HLU Committee – Short Term Rentals Phase-Out
Date: Monday, June 9, 2025
Opinion: I am opposed to Bill 9
Thank you for taking the time to read my opinion on phasing out short-term rentals currently on the Minatoya List
My name is Toni Spence and I have lived on Maui for 45 years. I am opposed to Bill 9 for phasing out short term rentals on the Minatoya List.
I work for a locally owned Short-Term Vacation Management Company. We only service condos in South Maui. We only hire people who live on Maui to do the daily work of running the company. My job includes scheduling cleaners, inspectors and maintenance workers. I speak with them almost daily through texts, emails or phone calls. I let them know when units have departures and need cleaning, need deep cleans, need to be prepped for tenting, bug sprays or construction cleans.
This past week, June 1 – 7, we had 135 units with departures. To service those units, I scheduled 6 inspectors to review the units, over 40 cleaners to clean the units and worked with 5 reservationists to make the reservations. We called in over 40 work orders to contractors to fix items in these units. This is just one week’s worth of work. These are workers who all live on Maui, have families, shop in the same grocery stores, play at the same parks, go to the same churches here in Maui that we all go to.
They depend on our company for their livelihoods.
If you multiply these numbers by four you can see how much work would be lost, in one month, by all our employees and vendors if you were to ban short term rentals on the Minatoya List. You would be putting at least 100 currently employed people out of work.
Weekly I get requests from our current cleaners for more work. In addition, I get emails from cleaners who are looking for work and asking if we have any work for them. Unfortunately, with the down turn in tourism right now I have to tell them we do not.
There are so many more benefits to our state and county that come from the revenue generated by short term vacation rentals. Please don’t be short sided and think that banning short term rentals on the Minatoya List will not have a negative impact on Maui. The impact will be huge and not in a favorable way.
Please represent me and the others I work with and vote to oppose Bill 9.
Mahalo.
We need a renters cap/increase cap as well as the amount of rent charged per month, per unit reduced to a reasonable price.
Studio should be no more than $900-$1100 per month max
1bdrm $1100-$1400
2Bdrm $1400-$1600
3bdrm $1600-$1800
Etc
My name is Nick Knowlton and I have been a full time resident here on Maui for the last 20 years. I'm a full-time resident, and I work for Maui Paradise Properties, a local vacation rental management business that’s really feeling the impacts of the drop in tourism. I wanted to share what this proposed phase-out of short-term rentals could mean for families like mine and the people we work with every day.
Our business depends on visitors who stay in short-term rentals. Many of them come back year after year, and they support local restaurants, shops, and tour companies — not just the big-name spots, but the mom-and-pop places that make Maui special. If these rentals go away, I worry we’ll lose those repeat visitors, and with them, a huge part of what keeps us going.
We employ many local workers — folks who rely on this work to take care of their families. We’re not just talking about numbers. These are real people — my neighbors, and my friends — who are going to be hit hard if these jobs disappear.
This phase-out feels like it’s targeting the very people who are trying to make it here — local families doing our best to stay afloat. I understand there are concerns about housing, and I agree we need real solutions. But taking away our income without a clear plan just makes things harder.
We need the County to protect locals on every front — not just in housing, but in employment, education, services, and economic opportunity. We need a balanced approach, not one that removes critical sources of income and support.
Please, don’t move forward with this phase-out. Work with us. Listen to us. Let’s find a way that protects our jobs, preserves our communities, and helps Maui thrive.
Mahalo for your time and for listening to our stories.
Sincerely,
Nick Knowlton
Onboarding Manager
Maui Paradise Properties
I am writing to express my strong opposition to Bill 9 (2024), which seeks to phase out short-term vacation rentals (STRs) in Apartment-zoned areas across Maui County.
While I understand and respect the urgent need for more affordable housing, I believe that Bill 9 is a blunt policy tool that will have devastating consequences for our local economy, workforce, and property owners—without guaranteeing the intended benefits.
1. Economic Fallout - Bill 9 threatens to eliminate thousands of legal, taxpaying STR units that, according to the UHERO report, collectively generate nearly approximately $900 million in annual visitor spending, over 1,900 local jobs, and more than $60 million in property tax revenue. The unintended consequences of this action could worsen our economic challenges, not solve them.
2. Impact on Local Families and Workers - Many local residents rely on STR income to survive—be it retirees, families supplementing their mortgage, or small-scale property managers and maintenance crews. Removing legal STRs will directly harm these people and potentially increase unemployment and economic insecurity for those the bill claims to protect, perhaps even forcing those individuals to move off island.
3. Lack of Realistic Conversion - There is no guarantee that STR units in Apartment zones will become long-term housing. Many of these buildings were never intended for permanent residents due to zoning, lack of amenities, and high HOA or insurance costs. For instance, one such condo complex is currently undergoing an assessment in excess of $60,000 per owner. How would a local family be able to afford that expense in addtion to mortgage payment, property taxes, condo insurance and HOA fees.
4. Legal and Ethical Concerns - STR owners who purchased under theMinatoya List acted in good faith under existing county policy. Retroactively stripping them of their rights raises serious legal and ethical concerns, undermining public trust in the County’s planning and permitting system.
5. Better Alternatives Exist - Rather than dismantling a vital part of our tourism economy, the County should focus on:
Cracking down on **illegal STRs** operating outside permitted zones.
Incentivizing **long-term rental conversions** with tax breaks or subsidies. FEMA was successful in finding temporary housing for displaced Lahaina residents in the immediate aftermath of the fire. It worked once, so who's to say it can't be done on a longer-term and more permanent basis?
Building **truly affordable housing** in areas already zoned for it.
In closing, I urge you to reject Bill 9 or, at the very least, significantly amend it to protect legally operating STR owners and ensure any housing transition is fair, effective, and economically sustainable.
My name is Ashley Hogue, and I'm writing in strong support of Bill 9.
Over the past decade, I've been displaced from housing nine times. I had to leave Maui at one point because I simply couldn't find a stable place to live or farm to own. I tried starting over with our Ohana on Moloka'i, but the same story was playing out there-nearly every available rental was a short-term vacation rental. I've seen firsthand how this crisis isn't just a policy problem. It's deeply personal. It uproots lives.
I'm now back on Maui working full-time in agriculture, doing the kind of community-based work that helps build a more resilient future for these islands. But even with full-time work, I live in constant fear of losing housing again.
That anxiety never really goes away when you know how fragile the system is.
Let's be clear-this housing crisis didn't happen overnight. It happened because short-term rentals were allowed to expand far beyond resort zones and into the very neighborhoods where local people are trying to live. By the time the fire hit, nearly 90% of homes north of Kã'anapali were STRs. That's not tourism, it's displacement.
And phasing out STRs doesn't mean we're rejecting tourism. It means we're calling for it to return to the resort areas where it was always meant to be. The data shows that even with thousands of STRs removed, our occupancy rate is still projected to increase. Tourism can thrive and our people can have homes.
This also isn't about jobs. Most of these STRs don't employ local workers. They're often remote-managed, non-union, and disconnected from our local economy. Meanwhile, we have hundreds of open jobs in the County-jobs with benefits that our residents could fill if they had housing.
We've waited long enough. We've watched our communities hollow out while other places took action. It's time for Maui to stand up for its people and stop treating STRs like they're above regulation.
And please-I ask you to include no carve-outs or exemptions for timeshares. Every exception chips away at the solution.
Mahalo for your time and for standing with those of us who are still fighting to stay home.
My name is Heather Sparkes, and I am a Canadian citizen and the proud owner of a condominium at Wailea Ekahi Village, a property on the Minatoya list that has long operated as a legal, permitted vacation rental.
I’m writing to express my strong opposition to Bill 9, which proposes to remove transient vacation rental (TVR) use from apartment-zoned properties such as ours.
When we are not in residence, our unit is managed by a locally owned company, Coral Tree Residences. Through this arrangement, our property supports a wide network of Maui residents — including cleaners, landscapers, maintenance workers, hospitality staff, and small business owners. The transient accommodations tax and general excise tax we pay also help fund public services on the island. We are proud to contribute to the local economy and feel that our presence benefits Maui beyond personal enjoyment.
Should Bill 9 pass, we would not sell our unit — but the ability to generate rental income would disappear, along with the economic benefits to the surrounding community. Our unit would sit empty much of the year. It was never part of the long-term housing pool, nor is it likely to be — it is in an area not suitable for full-time residency due to high property values, limited school access, and its position within Maui’s premier hotel and tourism zone.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, I offer the following alternative solutions:
Prioritize enforcement against illegal or non-compliant rentals, which can create neighborhood friction and operate outside tax regulations. Legally permitted vacation rentals like ours — which have followed all requirements and contribute meaningfully to the local economy — should not be grouped into this category.
Explore strategic rezoning of Maui’s housing and tourism areas. Not all apartment-zoned neighborhoods serve the same function. Our condo, for example, is located in the heart of Wailea’s hotel zone — directly adjacent to resorts such as the Andaz, Marriott, Fairmont, Hotel Wailea, and Four Seasons. This area is built and priced for tourism, not local families. Strategic zoning policy should recognize that some areas are ideal for workforce housing, while others, like Wailea, are better suited for short-term rentals due to their infrastructure, pricing, and purpose.
Consider a tiered licensing or tax structure that encourages owners to reinvest in the community — such as hiring local service providers or maintaining high operational standards — while allowing compliant vacation rentals to continue contributing economically.
Blanket policies like Bill 9 risk significant economic harm without solving the core housing issue. Instead, we urge you to adopt more targeted measures that address real sources of displacement while protecting legal, community-supportive rentals like ours.
Mahalo for your time and dedication to Maui’s future.
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.
Papakea was initially marketed and sold as a legal vacation rental property before any zoning restrictions limited transient vacation rentals in apartment zoned properties.
It is my belief that even if one wanted to rent a unit long term, the operating costs for a basic unit at Papakea are such that they would push the bounds of affordability just to cover monthly expenses such as HOA dues, Insurance, Taxes and Maintenance. This doesn’t even address the costs of recent assessments for major renovations made to Papakea such as to the sea wall, the exterior renovation, a current interior renovation replacing all of the cast iron piping not to mention a looming canal renovation project. This would be the case even if one did not have a mortgage payment, which of course is a reality for most people owning real estate.
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.
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.
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.
As a Papakea owner, and a member of the local Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunrise, I am involved in many community volunteer activities as are many owners and guests. We support the food bank, vocational sponsorships for fire impacted residents, educational scholarships, beach clean-ups, cemetery cleanups, Lahaina Restoration projects and many, many others over the past 20+/- years. I and others, volunteer my time whenever possible to help make Lahaina a better place for all the residents.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Jerry Moses
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, Unit B308
Lahaina, HI
RE: Vote NO on the proposed Transient Vacation Rental ban
I am opposed to the TVR ban. I own unit D-204 at 940 S Kihei Road. A TVR ban will devastate the Maui economy, as confirmed by two economic studies, which I previously emailed to each Council member. The Kihei area will be hit particularly hard as there is a high concentration of TVRs in the Kihei area and there are many (if not the majority) Kihei businesses which are totally dependent on the TVR trade. The Maui Coast Hotel is the only hotel in Kihei. Eliminate the TVRs and tourists staying at the hotel will not carry the day. I listened to a full day of testimony before the Planning Commission and heard dozens of business owners testify that their business was 100%, or nearly 100% dependent on TVRs for their livelihood. This included cleaning services, rental agencies, restaurant owners, outdoor adventure businesses, and others. Kihei residents don’t rent snorkels and boogie boards and residents do not frequent restaurants with nearly the frequency that tourists do. Say good-by to businesses like Snorkel Bobs, Boss Frogs, and many restaurants. Below I Included a list of 32 businesses in the Kihei Long’s Drug and Azeka shopping centers that I believe will be severely impacted if a TVR ban is enacted. Think of all the other shops and restaurants in the heart of Kihei. Without the TVR trade, many will be forced to close their doors. Many are still paying off business loans used to start their business and all have monthly lease payments for their storefronts. The result will be numerous bankruptcies. Proprietors will lose everything.
The tourist population from Wailea will not be sufficient to save the Kihei businesses. The mega hotels in that area have everything right there – no need to leave the campus.
The proposed TVR ban is intended to alleviate what has been described as a severe housing shortage with the intent that TVRs will convert to long term rentals. However, the TVR ban will NOT address the immediate housing shortage, as confirmed by the two proposed amendments. One extends the implementation date to 2028 and the other to 2030, FIVE YEARS from now. This will NOT solve the immediate housing shortage. A TVR ban is not the answer.
The vast majority of TVRs have been operating legally and have been contributing to the Maui economy for decades. They do not deserve to be punished. If the desire is to convert some of the TVRs to long term rentals, the County has the ability to offer or enact monetary incentives. The expectation that owners will willingly convert their TVRs to long term rentals has not been thought through sufficiently. There are a huge number of TVRs in the Kihei area and they cannot all successfully convert to long term rentals. There are too many pitfalls along the way. Most of the activity is in Lahaina and points north or in Kahului. Kihei is too far away. Kihei area units offered to aid workers during the aftermath of the fires went vacant due to the travel distance.
Another factor is the cost. Most TVRs operate under an AOAO. Monthly dues are costly (mine are $934/month). Add a mortgage payment and an owner has to charge rent of $3,000 to $4,000 just to break even. The Mayor’s plan could backfire. If the ban is enacted, I fear many owners will not be able to find long term tenants, then property values will plummet. When they get low enough, investors from California and other wealthy areas will swoop in and start buying 2nd homes on the cheap. It will likely create a huge 2nd home market.
The real solution is to build more units. The June 7 edition of Maui Now contained an article stating that the proposed 1600 unit Ho’onani Village project in Kahului is being reviewed by the Planning Commission. In Kihei, the Hale O Pi’ikea project on Pi’ikea Ave is under construction and will provide 223 housing units starting in 2025. This is part of the County’s Affordable Housing Plan “of providing 5,000 affordable homes in five years.” ** Under this plan, the housing crisis will be nearly eliminated by 2030, the new units will be affordable, AND there will be no need to crash the Maui economy by eliminating TVRs.
In conclusion, I am against the proposed TVR ban and respectfully request that you reject it and vote NO.
John Egbert
940 S Kihei Road Unit D-204
Jegbert15@outlook.com
Kihei area businesses which will likely be severely impacted by a TVR ban
Azeka Mauka
Diamonds Bar & Grill
Panda Express Restaurant
Maui Mojo Massage
Miso Phat Sushi Restaurant
Roasted Chilies Restaurant
Paniolos Bar & Grill
Maui Coffee Store
Peggy Sue’s Restaurant
Coconut’s Restaurant
Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonades
Snorkel Bob’s
Azeka Makai
Nalu’s Restaurant
B&B Scuba
Blue Water Rafting
Noodles & Rice Restaurant
SuSubs Restaurant
Thai Food Restaurant
Izakaya Genbe
Shave Ice Kiosk
Oceans Nail Spa
Maui Lobster King Restaurant
deVine Wine Lounge
Maui Pie
Long’s Shopping Center
Choke Fishing
Papa Johns Pizza
DA Kitchen Restaurant
Pho Noodle Bar Restaurant
Boss Frogs
VIP Nails & Spa
ODO Restaurant
South Maui Bicycles
Amigo’s Restaurant
** From the Hale O Pi’ikea website: https://www.ikenakea.com/hale-o-piikea
“The proposed Hale O Piʻikea Project is being developed, pursuant to Chapter 2.96, Maui County Code, to help address the critical shortage of affordable housing for low-income Maui residents. The development will be completed in three phases totaling 223 units of affordable rental housing for kamaʻāina families and kupuna….Hale O Pi’ikea has been placed as a tier 1 priority project in the County of Maui’s Affordable Housing Plan to help reach the goal of providing 5,000 affordable homes in five years.”
We.strongly support Bill 9, especially for the apartment zoned condominiums in Ma'alaea. Ma'alaea is centrally located and well suited as housing for people working in West Maui or Cental or South Maui. Most condominiums have large 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom apartments with extra storage on-site and off street parking. In addition, public transportation is available at the harbor, which is an easy walking distance from all of the condominiums, so a resident can even get by without a vehicle. The apartments in Ma'alaea used to have more of a mix of homeowners, long-term renters and snowbirds, but has escalated in recent years to more investor owners looking to cash in on the short term vacation rental business. Due to this, there are fewer long-term rentals, and snowbirds, who stay for months at a time and contribute to the economy and community, are also less common. The STR owners are transactional and they and their clients utilize the scarce resources of water and energy to a greater degree than other residential occupants. Please, pass this bill limiting short-term rentals in apartment zones, especially the 8 condominiums granted the exclusion in Ma'alaea. Please, enact the legislation sooner rather than later, so that more housing is available to the workforce community!
I’m writing to urge deep consideration of the economic and community impacts of Bill 9—particularly on the working residents who form the backbone of Maui’s hospitality industry.
This community has already been through so much. We were rocked by COVID, and then devastated again by the Lahaina Fires. Families and businesses are just starting to regain their footing. This bill, as written, could push even more local residents off island—not because they want to leave, but because they’ll no longer be able to afford to stay.
The short-term rental industry provides reliable, year-round work for countless local people—housekeepers, maintenance crews, inspectors, reservation staff, marketers, and small business owners. These are our neighbors, our ʻohana, and our community members trying to work to support their families.
My own experience is just one of many. After the fires, my husband and I had no choice but to move off island due to the cost of housing. The only thing I’ve been able to hold onto is my job in this industry. And even that now feels uncertain.
We all want affordable housing. We support efforts that will allow more residents to live and thrive on Maui. But how can we expect people to afford housing if we take away the very jobs that help them pay for it? Removing short-term rental jobs without creating immediate economic alternatives will deepen hardship, not solve it.
Please don’t let this bill unintentionally dismantle one of the few sources of stability our community still has. We need thoughtful solutions that protect both livelihoods and long-term housing goals. Maui deserves both.
Mahalo for your time, and for listening to the people this truly affects.
Dear Mayor Bissen, Distinguished Council Members, and Maui Residents,
My name is Cheryl Cromer, and I am an owner of a short-term rental property in Maui County. I am very concerned and strongly opposed to the proposed legislation to phase out more than 7,000 vacation rentals.
I strive to be a responsible, community-oriented owner. I recommend local restaurants, farmer's markets, shops, tour guides and music venues in my welcome guide. I employ local service providers — cleaners, maintenance workers, contractors, and landscapers.
Before I was an owner I spent a few years staying in large, global hotels on Maui. Once I tried staying in a short term rental instead the advantages were obvious and from then on I chose to stay in vacation rentals. They allowed me to be closer to the land and bounty of Maui. After many years of at least annual travel to Maui we purchased our own STR so we could feel and be more a part of the Maui we love. As a result, we pay Maui taxes, buy insurance from Maui insurers and are able to eat , shop and be in Maui on a more personal basis.
We shop at local stores and farmers markets for food.We eat in local restaurants and regularly enjoy Hawaiian music at various venues. We usually attend the Slack Key Show in West Maui to hear traditional and modern Hawaiian music.
Like us some of my guests have said they wouldn’t have come at all if they didn’t have a vacation rental option. Staying in a large, global hotel is just not as enjoyable to many people as staying in a local STR. That matters — not just to me, but to all the small businesses we and they support during stays.
Owning in our complex is not easy. We are not wealthy. We have faced huge maintenance costs, special assessments, and massive increases in insurance cost after the fires. These aren’t luxuries — they are expenses that ensure the property remains safe, functional, and appealing. The work of course is done by local workers. STR income helps us cover some of those costs.
This legislation feels one-sided. I urge the Council to work with owners like me to find a fair and balanced path forward — one that protects local jobs, supports the economy, and holds STR owners to high standards, instead of phasing us out completely.
Dear Mayor Bissen, Distinguished Council Members, and Maui Residents,
My name is Michael Edward Krupnick, I’ve been a resident of Maui for over 50 years, a former successful business owner deeply invested in this community, and a parent of children with Hawaiian blood, I stand firmly against Bill 9 and the proposed STR phaseout. This isn't a theoretical exercise for me; it's about the very real impact on my family, my neighbors, and the fabric of our island.
The article paints a rosy picture of economic benefits, but it ignores the devastating consequences for countless individuals and families who rely on short-term rentals to make ends meet. It dismisses the hard work and dedication of small business owners like myself who have poured their hearts and souls into creating these rentals, contributing significantly to the local economy.
We've always given back to the community, supporting local charities and initiatives. We've treated our guests with aloha, sharing the beauty and culture of Maui. To suggest that we are somehow detrimental to the island is not only insulting but demonstrably false.
This bill threatens to displace families, destroy livelihoods, and further erode the middle class on Maui. It ignores the fact that many homeowners rely on STR income to afford their mortgages, especially in a place as expensive as Hawaii. Where are these people supposed to go? What will become of the local businesses that depend on the tourism generated by these rentals?
The claim that this will magically create affordable housing is a pipe dream. The real problem is a lack of investment in genuinely affordable housing solutions, not the existence of STRs. This bill is a band-aid solution that will inflict far more pain than it alleviates.
I urge our lawmakers to reconsider this misguided policy and instead focus on sustainable solutions that support both our residents and our tourism industry. We need to find a balance that respects our community, preserves our culture, and protects our economy, not destroy it with sweeping, ill-conceived legislation like Bill 9. This isn't about progress; it's about pushing long-time residents off the island and further enriching those who already have enough. It's a betrayal of the spirit of aloha and a devastating blow to the heart of Maui.
V/r
Michael Edward Krupnick
273 Wailua Nui Rd, Haiku, HI 96708
A quick search 5 min ago showed 420 properties on Maui for sale right now for under $800,000. If the aim of the county and Bill 9 is really to increase affordable housing then why aren't you buying up every one of these and housing people NOW? They're available immediately and the overall cost will be far far less than the economic, legal and personal $ costs to all Maui residents if this poorly thought out bill is passed. Bissen could start the ball rolling if he cares so much - buy a few and rent them out for below market/below cost rents. Let's see if that ever happens! Say NO to Bill 9. I do not own Minatoya unit. I am a full time resident of Maui. And I think this is very, very destructive legislation.
Dear Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
I am a Housing and Health researcher writing in strong support of the Minatoya short-term rental (STR) phase-out.
We are not being unreasonable in calling for this policy—if anything, we are late. Cities worldwide, from New York to Barcelona, have already taken bold steps to rein in STRs after witnessing the serious damage they inflict on local housing markets and community stability. In places like San Francisco and Santa Monica, STRs are limited to primary residences and tightly capped to prevent homes from becoming de facto hotels. Here on Maui, many of the Minatoya-listed properties function exactly as such: without on-site staff, managed via lockboxes, and serving tourists rather than residents.
Meanwhile, the costs of inaction are staggering. Local residents are still being displaced, especially after the wildfires, and are finding fewer and fewer housing options to return to as FEMA support has weaned. Supporting the STR phase-out is a necessary step toward restoring affordability, neighborhood integrity, and housing availability for those who live and work here.
Recent research from UHERO confirms that this policy could return up to 6,127 STRs to the long-term housing market—equivalent to a decade’s worth of new development. The result: an estimated 20–40% drop in condo prices and meaningful downward pressure on rents across the island. This would be a major step toward restoring housing affordability for local residents who have been pushed to the margins of their own communities.
As a researcher focused on the link between housing and health, I can tell you that access to stable, affordable housing is one of the most powerful predictors of better physical and mental health outcomes. This policy is one important step to rebalance the housing market and contribute to the long-term well-being of people and neighborhoods.
To ensure this policy delivers on its full potential, I encourage the County to adopt additional measures that support a just and effective transition. These could include phasing in implementation regionally or by lottery to ease market shifts, imposing an empty homes tax to promote year-round occupancy, and enacting safeguards to ensure that former STRs become true long-term housing—not speculative assets. Supporting tools like higher taxes on remaining STRs and homeownership assistance for local families would help ensure that the benefits of this policy are shared equitably across our community.
Finally, I respectfully urge the Committee to avoid carve-outs or special protections for timeshares or other commercial lodging interests. Doing so would undermine the intent of the bill and weaken its potential to create real, measurable change.
The Minatoya phase-out is not extreme—it is essential. Please act now to protect housing and health.
I urge you to not pass this bill. It is already showing the ill effects of what taking away our tourism dollars in the last year. it has shown how hard our economy is hurting without the added tourist spending, the loss of jobs for the workers that rely on the industry, and the collateral damage that it is doing for the businesses that rely on them. Maui is a tourism based economy that will not change overnight if that is the goal of the government. The local people cannot afford to buy or rent most of these units as the cost to carry them is higher than what the locals will or can afford to pay for rent or ownership once you factor in the higher HOA fees, property taxes, and maintenance fees. Layer those fees on top of a mortgage and it is just an unrealistic scenario. If the goal is to provide locals with more housing options, then allow more building for that purpose, allow some rezoning to allow more homes and provide funds for infrastructure.
Dear Chair Kama, Vice Chair U’u-Hodgins and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
Papakea Oceanfront Resort has A2-H2 zoning, and as such should be excluded from Bill 9.
I oppose Bill 9 as the negative economic impact to Maui and Hawaii will be significant.
Thank you,
Duane R. Smith
Co-Owner, Papakea Unit D-402
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road
operated under long-standing county approvals and legal frameworks. Abruptly changing the rules threatens property rights and could result in costly legal challenges for the county.
The exemption for timeshares appears arbitrary and unfair, as both timeshares and vacation rentals serve visitors and often exist in the same complexes. This inconsistency further erodes trust in the process and the fairness of the legislation.
A Call for Balanced Solutions
I respectfully urge the Council to consider alternative approaches that address the housing crisis without causing collateral damage to Maui’s economy and property owners. Options such as tiered tax increases on short-term rentals, auctioning limited permits, or incentivizing voluntary conversion to long-term rentals could provide meaningful results while preserving economic stability.
Let’s work together to create policies that expand affordable housing, protect property rights, and sustain Maui’s unique community and economy for generations to come.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Bill 9 will hurt the Maui economy due to lost taxes and jobs. Our unit with small mortgage, taxes (6,000) year, HOA fees (1230 month) Electric ( $400+ month average) and recent assessment of $38,000 does not represent affordable 'workforce housing. Kamaole Sands was not built as workforce housing either. Please do not pass this bill that will not solve the housing issues. Mahalo
Chair, Vice Chair, and Committee Members,
I own a property sometimes available as an STR in Maui county and I oppose Bill 9 (2025). Attempts to dictate how owners can utilize their properties in what appears to be a knee-jerk response to a tragic situation is not a solution. The Minatoya List of properties is not a one-word categorization of living spaces. It is a heterogeneous list of living spaces where sweeping measures to do away with previously established guidelines need to be considered more strategically and carefully.
It also doesn’t pencil out to today’s standards. According to the UHERO analysis 75% of the 63,000 housing units are local housing and only half of the 13,000 STR-type units are on the Minatoya List. So returning the Minatoya List inventory to the LTR market (assuming they even would return) is only a potential 12% increase in inventory. Further, of units on the Minatoya List, 72% are listed under 1000 square feet with studies showing 600-700 square feet as being a comfortable amount of living space for a single person and family’s space being generally higher (2,000-3,000 square feet for a family of four.) Sparshott, WSJ 2016.
Economically, if Minatoya List properties hit the market in a “flood” as some hope, unaddressed are additional costs of simply owning one of these properties. HOA expenses for some of these properties have doubled in just the past 5 years. Failing ocean walls and shoreline surveys that don’t allow repair or replacement, mandated county infrastructure improvements paid by properties and slow or even timely permitting are expensive. Personally HOA dues and assessments at my property have been well over $2,000.00/month, being less than half that in 2020. This does not included utilities, mortgage and taxes.
With the average salary on Maui listed at $37K/year and with a 28% gross monthly income recommendation on a mortgage that leaves just under 11K/year or under $1000 a month to spend on housing. Take a lower-value Minatoya list property at $500K, knock 40% off it with reaction to the STR ban and with 20% down, a 270K loan for 30 years at 6% that is still $1,620.00/month. How is what the council is trying to do going to help going to effectuate anything with those numbers? Even if my numbers are off by 10%, I’ve been generous, getting rid of the provisions provided by the Minatoya List does not appear to be a successful path. There has to be another, more comprehensive way.
Respectfully,
Jason Feinberg
the Pikake A4
jason@jsfeinbergconsulting.com
Aloha Council Members,
Bill 9 will hurt us more than it will help.
Maui is at a crossroads — a place where deep aloha for the land, the people and the way of life meets the urgent need for change. While Bill 9 aims to return housing to local families by eliminating legal short-term rentals (STRs), it’s important to pause and ask: Is this really the solution our community needs?
For many, the answer is no — and not because I oppose affordable housing, but because I care deeply about protecting the fabric of Maui, including the rights of longtime residents, working families, and small local businesses who will be unintentionally hurt.
I have and will continue to advocate for affordable housing solutions like shorter permit times. increase of ADUs, Cottage Home Starter Communities so we have more housing ladder that will help with supply/demand and of creating better jobs for local people that pay a better wage.
These are a few of the reasons I am opposed to the Bill.
1. It Unfairly Punishes Lawful Property Owners
Many of the STR owners affected by Bill 9 are not large corporations or outside investors. They're local residents, kupuna, or small families who played by the rules, paid taxes, and built their lives around what was, until now, a legal use of their property. Even is they are mainland owners they have paid vacation rental taxes in good faith to the governement who is now pulling possibly their retirement from them. I am against the us vs the mainland that has crept into this conversation and is poisoning ideas for solutions.
To strip away those rights after years of compliance feels like a betrayal. It sends a chilling message: even when you do everything right, you’re not safe from government overreach. For families who rely on rental income to survive on island, this is more than policy — it's personal, painful, and destabilizing.
2. It Could Devastate Maui’s Working Economy
Per the UHERO study this isn't a question it is based in ecomomic facts.
Short-term rentals are more than just a place for visitors to stay — they are the livelihood for thousands of local workers: cleaners, landscapers, handymen, property managers, and small business owners. Bill 9 threatens to wipe out an entire layer of the local economy that supports Maui’s working class. It will affect our local restaurants and shop owners as well as their workers too along with airport employees. The list goes on. Cutting off this income, especially after the Lahaina fire and ongoing economic recovery efforts, could have devastating ripple effects. We risk pushing more locals into financial insecurity, or even off the island altogether — the very thing we say we’re trying to prevent.
3. It Won’t Solve the Housing Crisis the Way People Hope
Maui’s housing crisis is real — and heartbreaking. But turning legal vacation rentals into long-term housing doesn’t guarantee that local families will benefit. Most STRs are in areas that are already priced far beyond the reach of most residents — beachfront condos, tourist zones, or older complexes not built for year-round families. These units often have high HOA fees, no storage, limited parking, or outdated infrastructure. Removing their STR status may not make them affordable — it might just make them empty. There are affordable condos on the market now that are not being purchased. The council needs to ask themselves why?
I believe as my clients have told me that they are afraid if this Bill passes they will lose their jobs and can't trust to purchase now.
4. It Opens the Door to Legal and Ethical Challenges
Bill 9 may set a dangerous precedent by retroactively stripping legally obtained rights. Beyond the legal risk of lawsuits (which could cost the county dearly), there’s a deeper question of ethics: is it pono to take away something people were promised they could count on? In Hawaiian values, fairness and kuleana go hand in hand. Revoking permits could feel like the county is breaking its word to many who acted in good faith, undermining trust in local government.
5. It’s Dividing Us, When We Need Unity Most
This issue is tearing at the heart of our community — neighbor against neighbor, kamaʻāina against newcomer, local families against working hosts. But the truth is, we all love Maui. We all want our keiki to have a future here. We all feel the pressure of change and the weight of responsibility. Bill 9 doesn’t offer a unifying solution. It’s a sweeping, emotional response to a complex problem that requires thoughtful, inclusive dialogue — not a rush to erase livelihoods, housing options, and economic balance.
There Is a Better Way
Maui absolutely needs more housing for local residents. But there are better tools to get us there — enforce existing illegal STR bans, incentivize affordable housing development, create programs that actually help working families stay on island like the downpayment assistance program. Let’s choose solutions that are pono, protect all people, and build a future that feels right for all of Maui. Thank you.
Sincerely, Regina Duncan
Testimony for HLU Committee – Short Term Rentals Phase-Out
Date: Monday, June 9, 2025
Opinion: I am opposed to Bill 9
Thank you for taking the time to read my opinion on phasing out short-term rentals currently on the Minatoya List
My name is Toni Spence and I have lived on Maui for 45 years. I am opposed to Bill 9 for phasing out short term rentals on the Minatoya List.
I work for a locally owned Short-Term Vacation Management Company. We only service condos in South Maui. We only hire people who live on Maui to do the daily work of running the company. My job includes scheduling cleaners, inspectors and maintenance workers. I speak with them almost daily through texts, emails or phone calls. I let them know when units have departures and need cleaning, need deep cleans, need to be prepped for tenting, bug sprays or construction cleans.
This past week, June 1 – 7, we had 135 units with departures. To service those units, I scheduled 6 inspectors to review the units, over 40 cleaners to clean the units and worked with 5 reservationists to make the reservations. We called in over 40 work orders to contractors to fix items in these units. This is just one week’s worth of work. These are workers who all live on Maui, have families, shop in the same grocery stores, play at the same parks, go to the same churches here in Maui that we all go to.
They depend on our company for their livelihoods.
If you multiply these numbers by four you can see how much work would be lost, in one month, by all our employees and vendors if you were to ban short term rentals on the Minatoya List. You would be putting at least 100 currently employed people out of work.
Weekly I get requests from our current cleaners for more work. In addition, I get emails from cleaners who are looking for work and asking if we have any work for them. Unfortunately, with the down turn in tourism right now I have to tell them we do not.
There are so many more benefits to our state and county that come from the revenue generated by short term vacation rentals. Please don’t be short sided and think that banning short term rentals on the Minatoya List will not have a negative impact on Maui. The impact will be huge and not in a favorable way.
Please represent me and the others I work with and vote to oppose Bill 9.
Mahalo.
We need a renters cap/increase cap as well as the amount of rent charged per month, per unit reduced to a reasonable price.
Studio should be no more than $900-$1100 per month max
1bdrm $1100-$1400
2Bdrm $1400-$1600
3bdrm $1600-$1800
Etc
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair, and Committee Members,
My name is Nick Knowlton and I have been a full time resident here on Maui for the last 20 years. I'm a full-time resident, and I work for Maui Paradise Properties, a local vacation rental management business that’s really feeling the impacts of the drop in tourism. I wanted to share what this proposed phase-out of short-term rentals could mean for families like mine and the people we work with every day.
Our business depends on visitors who stay in short-term rentals. Many of them come back year after year, and they support local restaurants, shops, and tour companies — not just the big-name spots, but the mom-and-pop places that make Maui special. If these rentals go away, I worry we’ll lose those repeat visitors, and with them, a huge part of what keeps us going.
We employ many local workers — folks who rely on this work to take care of their families. We’re not just talking about numbers. These are real people — my neighbors, and my friends — who are going to be hit hard if these jobs disappear.
This phase-out feels like it’s targeting the very people who are trying to make it here — local families doing our best to stay afloat. I understand there are concerns about housing, and I agree we need real solutions. But taking away our income without a clear plan just makes things harder.
We need the County to protect locals on every front — not just in housing, but in employment, education, services, and economic opportunity. We need a balanced approach, not one that removes critical sources of income and support.
Please, don’t move forward with this phase-out. Work with us. Listen to us. Let’s find a way that protects our jobs, preserves our communities, and helps Maui thrive.
Mahalo for your time and for listening to our stories.
Sincerely,
Nick Knowlton
Onboarding Manager
Maui Paradise Properties
Aloha Councilmembers,
I am writing to express my strong opposition to Bill 9 (2024), which seeks to phase out short-term vacation rentals (STRs) in Apartment-zoned areas across Maui County.
While I understand and respect the urgent need for more affordable housing, I believe that Bill 9 is a blunt policy tool that will have devastating consequences for our local economy, workforce, and property owners—without guaranteeing the intended benefits.
1. Economic Fallout - Bill 9 threatens to eliminate thousands of legal, taxpaying STR units that, according to the UHERO report, collectively generate nearly approximately $900 million in annual visitor spending, over 1,900 local jobs, and more than $60 million in property tax revenue. The unintended consequences of this action could worsen our economic challenges, not solve them.
2. Impact on Local Families and Workers - Many local residents rely on STR income to survive—be it retirees, families supplementing their mortgage, or small-scale property managers and maintenance crews. Removing legal STRs will directly harm these people and potentially increase unemployment and economic insecurity for those the bill claims to protect, perhaps even forcing those individuals to move off island.
3. Lack of Realistic Conversion - There is no guarantee that STR units in Apartment zones will become long-term housing. Many of these buildings were never intended for permanent residents due to zoning, lack of amenities, and high HOA or insurance costs. For instance, one such condo complex is currently undergoing an assessment in excess of $60,000 per owner. How would a local family be able to afford that expense in addtion to mortgage payment, property taxes, condo insurance and HOA fees.
4. Legal and Ethical Concerns - STR owners who purchased under theMinatoya List acted in good faith under existing county policy. Retroactively stripping them of their rights raises serious legal and ethical concerns, undermining public trust in the County’s planning and permitting system.
5. Better Alternatives Exist - Rather than dismantling a vital part of our tourism economy, the County should focus on:
Cracking down on **illegal STRs** operating outside permitted zones.
Incentivizing **long-term rental conversions** with tax breaks or subsidies. FEMA was successful in finding temporary housing for displaced Lahaina residents in the immediate aftermath of the fire. It worked once, so who's to say it can't be done on a longer-term and more permanent basis?
Building **truly affordable housing** in areas already zoned for it.
In closing, I urge you to reject Bill 9 or, at the very least, significantly amend it to protect legally operating STR owners and ensure any housing transition is fair, effective, and economically sustainable.
Mahalo for your consideration.
Mark Waite
Aloha Chair and Councilmembers,
My name is Ashley Hogue, and I'm writing in strong support of Bill 9.
Over the past decade, I've been displaced from housing nine times. I had to leave Maui at one point because I simply couldn't find a stable place to live or farm to own. I tried starting over with our Ohana on Moloka'i, but the same story was playing out there-nearly every available rental was a short-term vacation rental. I've seen firsthand how this crisis isn't just a policy problem. It's deeply personal. It uproots lives.
I'm now back on Maui working full-time in agriculture, doing the kind of community-based work that helps build a more resilient future for these islands. But even with full-time work, I live in constant fear of losing housing again.
That anxiety never really goes away when you know how fragile the system is.
Let's be clear-this housing crisis didn't happen overnight. It happened because short-term rentals were allowed to expand far beyond resort zones and into the very neighborhoods where local people are trying to live. By the time the fire hit, nearly 90% of homes north of Kã'anapali were STRs. That's not tourism, it's displacement.
And phasing out STRs doesn't mean we're rejecting tourism. It means we're calling for it to return to the resort areas where it was always meant to be. The data shows that even with thousands of STRs removed, our occupancy rate is still projected to increase. Tourism can thrive and our people can have homes.
This also isn't about jobs. Most of these STRs don't employ local workers. They're often remote-managed, non-union, and disconnected from our local economy. Meanwhile, we have hundreds of open jobs in the County-jobs with benefits that our residents could fill if they had housing.
We've waited long enough. We've watched our communities hollow out while other places took action. It's time for Maui to stand up for its people and stop treating STRs like they're above regulation.
And please-I ask you to include no carve-outs or exemptions for timeshares. Every exception chips away at the solution.
Mahalo for your time and for standing with those of us who are still fighting to stay home.
Ashley Hogue, Haiku
Aloha Members of the Maui County Council,
My name is Heather Sparkes, and I am a Canadian citizen and the proud owner of a condominium at Wailea Ekahi Village, a property on the Minatoya list that has long operated as a legal, permitted vacation rental.
I’m writing to express my strong opposition to Bill 9, which proposes to remove transient vacation rental (TVR) use from apartment-zoned properties such as ours.
When we are not in residence, our unit is managed by a locally owned company, Coral Tree Residences. Through this arrangement, our property supports a wide network of Maui residents — including cleaners, landscapers, maintenance workers, hospitality staff, and small business owners. The transient accommodations tax and general excise tax we pay also help fund public services on the island. We are proud to contribute to the local economy and feel that our presence benefits Maui beyond personal enjoyment.
Should Bill 9 pass, we would not sell our unit — but the ability to generate rental income would disappear, along with the economic benefits to the surrounding community. Our unit would sit empty much of the year. It was never part of the long-term housing pool, nor is it likely to be — it is in an area not suitable for full-time residency due to high property values, limited school access, and its position within Maui’s premier hotel and tourism zone.
In the spirit of constructive dialogue, I offer the following alternative solutions:
Prioritize enforcement against illegal or non-compliant rentals, which can create neighborhood friction and operate outside tax regulations. Legally permitted vacation rentals like ours — which have followed all requirements and contribute meaningfully to the local economy — should not be grouped into this category.
Explore strategic rezoning of Maui’s housing and tourism areas. Not all apartment-zoned neighborhoods serve the same function. Our condo, for example, is located in the heart of Wailea’s hotel zone — directly adjacent to resorts such as the Andaz, Marriott, Fairmont, Hotel Wailea, and Four Seasons. This area is built and priced for tourism, not local families. Strategic zoning policy should recognize that some areas are ideal for workforce housing, while others, like Wailea, are better suited for short-term rentals due to their infrastructure, pricing, and purpose.
Consider a tiered licensing or tax structure that encourages owners to reinvest in the community — such as hiring local service providers or maintaining high operational standards — while allowing compliant vacation rentals to continue contributing economically.
Blanket policies like Bill 9 risk significant economic harm without solving the core housing issue. Instead, we urge you to adopt more targeted measures that address real sources of displacement while protecting legal, community-supportive rentals like ours.
Mahalo for your time and dedication to Maui’s future.
Sincerely,
Heather Sparkes
Owner, Wailea Ekahi Village
h.sparkes@shaw.ca 403-650-3387
Calgary, AB, Canada
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.
Papakea was initially marketed and sold as a legal vacation rental property before any zoning restrictions limited transient vacation rentals in apartment zoned properties.
It is my belief that even if one wanted to rent a unit long term, the operating costs for a basic unit at Papakea are such that they would push the bounds of affordability just to cover monthly expenses such as HOA dues, Insurance, Taxes and Maintenance. This doesn’t even address the costs of recent assessments for major renovations made to Papakea such as to the sea wall, the exterior renovation, a current interior renovation replacing all of the cast iron piping not to mention a looming canal renovation project. This would be the case even if one did not have a mortgage payment, which of course is a reality for most people owning real estate.
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.
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.
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.
As a Papakea owner, and a member of the local Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunrise, I am involved in many community volunteer activities as are many owners and guests. We support the food bank, vocational sponsorships for fire impacted residents, educational scholarships, beach clean-ups, cemetery cleanups, Lahaina Restoration projects and many, many others over the past 20+/- years. I and others, volunteer my time whenever possible to help make Lahaina a better place for all the residents.
I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to comment.
Sincerely,
Jerry Moses
3543 Lower Honoapiilani Road, Unit B308
Lahaina, HI
RE: Vote NO on the proposed Transient Vacation Rental ban
I am opposed to the TVR ban. I own unit D-204 at 940 S Kihei Road. A TVR ban will devastate the Maui economy, as confirmed by two economic studies, which I previously emailed to each Council member. The Kihei area will be hit particularly hard as there is a high concentration of TVRs in the Kihei area and there are many (if not the majority) Kihei businesses which are totally dependent on the TVR trade. The Maui Coast Hotel is the only hotel in Kihei. Eliminate the TVRs and tourists staying at the hotel will not carry the day. I listened to a full day of testimony before the Planning Commission and heard dozens of business owners testify that their business was 100%, or nearly 100% dependent on TVRs for their livelihood. This included cleaning services, rental agencies, restaurant owners, outdoor adventure businesses, and others. Kihei residents don’t rent snorkels and boogie boards and residents do not frequent restaurants with nearly the frequency that tourists do. Say good-by to businesses like Snorkel Bobs, Boss Frogs, and many restaurants. Below I Included a list of 32 businesses in the Kihei Long’s Drug and Azeka shopping centers that I believe will be severely impacted if a TVR ban is enacted. Think of all the other shops and restaurants in the heart of Kihei. Without the TVR trade, many will be forced to close their doors. Many are still paying off business loans used to start their business and all have monthly lease payments for their storefronts. The result will be numerous bankruptcies. Proprietors will lose everything.
The tourist population from Wailea will not be sufficient to save the Kihei businesses. The mega hotels in that area have everything right there – no need to leave the campus.
The proposed TVR ban is intended to alleviate what has been described as a severe housing shortage with the intent that TVRs will convert to long term rentals. However, the TVR ban will NOT address the immediate housing shortage, as confirmed by the two proposed amendments. One extends the implementation date to 2028 and the other to 2030, FIVE YEARS from now. This will NOT solve the immediate housing shortage. A TVR ban is not the answer.
The vast majority of TVRs have been operating legally and have been contributing to the Maui economy for decades. They do not deserve to be punished. If the desire is to convert some of the TVRs to long term rentals, the County has the ability to offer or enact monetary incentives. The expectation that owners will willingly convert their TVRs to long term rentals has not been thought through sufficiently. There are a huge number of TVRs in the Kihei area and they cannot all successfully convert to long term rentals. There are too many pitfalls along the way. Most of the activity is in Lahaina and points north or in Kahului. Kihei is too far away. Kihei area units offered to aid workers during the aftermath of the fires went vacant due to the travel distance.
Another factor is the cost. Most TVRs operate under an AOAO. Monthly dues are costly (mine are $934/month). Add a mortgage payment and an owner has to charge rent of $3,000 to $4,000 just to break even. The Mayor’s plan could backfire. If the ban is enacted, I fear many owners will not be able to find long term tenants, then property values will plummet. When they get low enough, investors from California and other wealthy areas will swoop in and start buying 2nd homes on the cheap. It will likely create a huge 2nd home market.
The real solution is to build more units. The June 7 edition of Maui Now contained an article stating that the proposed 1600 unit Ho’onani Village project in Kahului is being reviewed by the Planning Commission. In Kihei, the Hale O Pi’ikea project on Pi’ikea Ave is under construction and will provide 223 housing units starting in 2025. This is part of the County’s Affordable Housing Plan “of providing 5,000 affordable homes in five years.” ** Under this plan, the housing crisis will be nearly eliminated by 2030, the new units will be affordable, AND there will be no need to crash the Maui economy by eliminating TVRs.
In conclusion, I am against the proposed TVR ban and respectfully request that you reject it and vote NO.
John Egbert
940 S Kihei Road Unit D-204
Jegbert15@outlook.com
Kihei area businesses which will likely be severely impacted by a TVR ban
Azeka Mauka
Diamonds Bar & Grill
Panda Express Restaurant
Maui Mojo Massage
Miso Phat Sushi Restaurant
Roasted Chilies Restaurant
Paniolos Bar & Grill
Maui Coffee Store
Peggy Sue’s Restaurant
Coconut’s Restaurant
Wow Wow Hawaiian Lemonades
Snorkel Bob’s
Azeka Makai
Nalu’s Restaurant
B&B Scuba
Blue Water Rafting
Noodles & Rice Restaurant
SuSubs Restaurant
Thai Food Restaurant
Izakaya Genbe
Shave Ice Kiosk
Oceans Nail Spa
Maui Lobster King Restaurant
deVine Wine Lounge
Maui Pie
Long’s Shopping Center
Choke Fishing
Papa Johns Pizza
DA Kitchen Restaurant
Pho Noodle Bar Restaurant
Boss Frogs
VIP Nails & Spa
ODO Restaurant
South Maui Bicycles
Amigo’s Restaurant
** From the Hale O Pi’ikea website: https://www.ikenakea.com/hale-o-piikea
“The proposed Hale O Piʻikea Project is being developed, pursuant to Chapter 2.96, Maui County Code, to help address the critical shortage of affordable housing for low-income Maui residents. The development will be completed in three phases totaling 223 units of affordable rental housing for kamaʻāina families and kupuna….Hale O Pi’ikea has been placed as a tier 1 priority project in the County of Maui’s Affordable Housing Plan to help reach the goal of providing 5,000 affordable homes in five years.”
Aloha,
We.strongly support Bill 9, especially for the apartment zoned condominiums in Ma'alaea. Ma'alaea is centrally located and well suited as housing for people working in West Maui or Cental or South Maui. Most condominiums have large 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom apartments with extra storage on-site and off street parking. In addition, public transportation is available at the harbor, which is an easy walking distance from all of the condominiums, so a resident can even get by without a vehicle. The apartments in Ma'alaea used to have more of a mix of homeowners, long-term renters and snowbirds, but has escalated in recent years to more investor owners looking to cash in on the short term vacation rental business. Due to this, there are fewer long-term rentals, and snowbirds, who stay for months at a time and contribute to the economy and community, are also less common. The STR owners are transactional and they and their clients utilize the scarce resources of water and energy to a greater degree than other residential occupants. Please, pass this bill limiting short-term rentals in apartment zones, especially the 8 condominiums granted the exclusion in Ma'alaea. Please, enact the legislation sooner rather than later, so that more housing is available to the workforce community!
Thank you for your time.
Aloha Councilmembers,
I’m writing to urge deep consideration of the economic and community impacts of Bill 9—particularly on the working residents who form the backbone of Maui’s hospitality industry.
This community has already been through so much. We were rocked by COVID, and then devastated again by the Lahaina Fires. Families and businesses are just starting to regain their footing. This bill, as written, could push even more local residents off island—not because they want to leave, but because they’ll no longer be able to afford to stay.
The short-term rental industry provides reliable, year-round work for countless local people—housekeepers, maintenance crews, inspectors, reservation staff, marketers, and small business owners. These are our neighbors, our ʻohana, and our community members trying to work to support their families.
My own experience is just one of many. After the fires, my husband and I had no choice but to move off island due to the cost of housing. The only thing I’ve been able to hold onto is my job in this industry. And even that now feels uncertain.
We all want affordable housing. We support efforts that will allow more residents to live and thrive on Maui. But how can we expect people to afford housing if we take away the very jobs that help them pay for it? Removing short-term rental jobs without creating immediate economic alternatives will deepen hardship, not solve it.
Please don’t let this bill unintentionally dismantle one of the few sources of stability our community still has. We need thoughtful solutions that protect both livelihoods and long-term housing goals. Maui deserves both.
Mahalo for your time, and for listening to the people this truly affects.
Dear Mayor Bissen, Distinguished Council Members, and Maui Residents,
My name is Cheryl Cromer, and I am an owner of a short-term rental property in Maui County. I am very concerned and strongly opposed to the proposed legislation to phase out more than 7,000 vacation rentals.
I strive to be a responsible, community-oriented owner. I recommend local restaurants, farmer's markets, shops, tour guides and music venues in my welcome guide. I employ local service providers — cleaners, maintenance workers, contractors, and landscapers.
Before I was an owner I spent a few years staying in large, global hotels on Maui. Once I tried staying in a short term rental instead the advantages were obvious and from then on I chose to stay in vacation rentals. They allowed me to be closer to the land and bounty of Maui. After many years of at least annual travel to Maui we purchased our own STR so we could feel and be more a part of the Maui we love. As a result, we pay Maui taxes, buy insurance from Maui insurers and are able to eat , shop and be in Maui on a more personal basis.
We shop at local stores and farmers markets for food.We eat in local restaurants and regularly enjoy Hawaiian music at various venues. We usually attend the Slack Key Show in West Maui to hear traditional and modern Hawaiian music.
Like us some of my guests have said they wouldn’t have come at all if they didn’t have a vacation rental option. Staying in a large, global hotel is just not as enjoyable to many people as staying in a local STR. That matters — not just to me, but to all the small businesses we and they support during stays.
Owning in our complex is not easy. We are not wealthy. We have faced huge maintenance costs, special assessments, and massive increases in insurance cost after the fires. These aren’t luxuries — they are expenses that ensure the property remains safe, functional, and appealing. The work of course is done by local workers. STR income helps us cover some of those costs.
This legislation feels one-sided. I urge the Council to work with owners like me to find a fair and balanced path forward — one that protects local jobs, supports the economy, and holds STR owners to high standards, instead of phasing us out completely.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Cheryl Cromer
4531 Lower Honoapiilani Road
Dear Mayor Bissen, Distinguished Council Members, and Maui Residents,
My name is Michael Edward Krupnick, I’ve been a resident of Maui for over 50 years, a former successful business owner deeply invested in this community, and a parent of children with Hawaiian blood, I stand firmly against Bill 9 and the proposed STR phaseout. This isn't a theoretical exercise for me; it's about the very real impact on my family, my neighbors, and the fabric of our island.
The article paints a rosy picture of economic benefits, but it ignores the devastating consequences for countless individuals and families who rely on short-term rentals to make ends meet. It dismisses the hard work and dedication of small business owners like myself who have poured their hearts and souls into creating these rentals, contributing significantly to the local economy.
We've always given back to the community, supporting local charities and initiatives. We've treated our guests with aloha, sharing the beauty and culture of Maui. To suggest that we are somehow detrimental to the island is not only insulting but demonstrably false.
This bill threatens to displace families, destroy livelihoods, and further erode the middle class on Maui. It ignores the fact that many homeowners rely on STR income to afford their mortgages, especially in a place as expensive as Hawaii. Where are these people supposed to go? What will become of the local businesses that depend on the tourism generated by these rentals?
The claim that this will magically create affordable housing is a pipe dream. The real problem is a lack of investment in genuinely affordable housing solutions, not the existence of STRs. This bill is a band-aid solution that will inflict far more pain than it alleviates.
I urge our lawmakers to reconsider this misguided policy and instead focus on sustainable solutions that support both our residents and our tourism industry. We need to find a balance that respects our community, preserves our culture, and protects our economy, not destroy it with sweeping, ill-conceived legislation like Bill 9. This isn't about progress; it's about pushing long-time residents off the island and further enriching those who already have enough. It's a betrayal of the spirit of aloha and a devastating blow to the heart of Maui.
V/r
Michael Edward Krupnick
273 Wailua Nui Rd, Haiku, HI 96708
A quick search 5 min ago showed 420 properties on Maui for sale right now for under $800,000. If the aim of the county and Bill 9 is really to increase affordable housing then why aren't you buying up every one of these and housing people NOW? They're available immediately and the overall cost will be far far less than the economic, legal and personal $ costs to all Maui residents if this poorly thought out bill is passed. Bissen could start the ball rolling if he cares so much - buy a few and rent them out for below market/below cost rents. Let's see if that ever happens! Say NO to Bill 9. I do not own Minatoya unit. I am a full time resident of Maui. And I think this is very, very destructive legislation.
Dear Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee,
I am a Housing and Health researcher writing in strong support of the Minatoya short-term rental (STR) phase-out.
We are not being unreasonable in calling for this policy—if anything, we are late. Cities worldwide, from New York to Barcelona, have already taken bold steps to rein in STRs after witnessing the serious damage they inflict on local housing markets and community stability. In places like San Francisco and Santa Monica, STRs are limited to primary residences and tightly capped to prevent homes from becoming de facto hotels. Here on Maui, many of the Minatoya-listed properties function exactly as such: without on-site staff, managed via lockboxes, and serving tourists rather than residents.
Meanwhile, the costs of inaction are staggering. Local residents are still being displaced, especially after the wildfires, and are finding fewer and fewer housing options to return to as FEMA support has weaned. Supporting the STR phase-out is a necessary step toward restoring affordability, neighborhood integrity, and housing availability for those who live and work here.
Recent research from UHERO confirms that this policy could return up to 6,127 STRs to the long-term housing market—equivalent to a decade’s worth of new development. The result: an estimated 20–40% drop in condo prices and meaningful downward pressure on rents across the island. This would be a major step toward restoring housing affordability for local residents who have been pushed to the margins of their own communities.
As a researcher focused on the link between housing and health, I can tell you that access to stable, affordable housing is one of the most powerful predictors of better physical and mental health outcomes. This policy is one important step to rebalance the housing market and contribute to the long-term well-being of people and neighborhoods.
To ensure this policy delivers on its full potential, I encourage the County to adopt additional measures that support a just and effective transition. These could include phasing in implementation regionally or by lottery to ease market shifts, imposing an empty homes tax to promote year-round occupancy, and enacting safeguards to ensure that former STRs become true long-term housing—not speculative assets. Supporting tools like higher taxes on remaining STRs and homeownership assistance for local families would help ensure that the benefits of this policy are shared equitably across our community.
Finally, I respectfully urge the Committee to avoid carve-outs or special protections for timeshares or other commercial lodging interests. Doing so would undermine the intent of the bill and weaken its potential to create real, measurable change.
The Minatoya phase-out is not extreme—it is essential. Please act now to protect housing and health.
Thank you,
Whitney Denary, MPH