We need to accept the fact that we are a tourist island. The GE taxes they outrageous mortgage and insurance rates that the condominium owners pay helps to keep our payments down as owners of this island. If we ended this, it would not only affect myself as a business owner that works in the condo community but for everything from appliance fixers to painters to pool cleaners everything. That money is what pays the bills and pays the salaries. Not only that but I don't know a single Lahaina resident that actually wants to live in a one-bedroom condo unless they have to. But we should be building is large hallways with small dwellings around it that are Lahaina residents can reestablish their community. They would love nothing better than to come together to help each other. Just like we should be building an area where the homeless can safely cook their food shower and use the bathrooms and we just turn our eyes away from the problem as the fires come and the filth comes. Why is it it takes it so long for us to figure out what is really right for us?
We really understand the need for housing for the residents of beautiful Maui but it is vital that common sense and not emotion is used in finding a solution. The effort should focus on housing that meets the needs both physically and financially of potential residents needing housing. For example, a condo of 420 sq feet that is a studio with a nice kitchen and shower/toilet that has an HOA fee of $1100.00 per MONTH in a complex that does not have enough parking for the 52 units involved. Add to that HOA fee a potential mortgage payment at today's high interest rates, property taxes of $9000.00 each year, and annual property and hurricane insurance premiums of $1900.00 makes a studio condo untenable. The monthly total needed to provide for these costs total about $2000.00 per month before any mortgage payments!
The single family homes in residential neighborhoods that have been purchased by investors and rented out short term would seem to be a better target for providing homes for Maui residents.
We really understand the need for housing for the residents of beautiful Maui but it is vital that common sense and not emotion is used in finding a solution. The effort should focus on housing that meets the needs both physically and financially of potential residents needing housing. For example, a condo of 420 sq feet that is a studio with a nice kitchen and shower/toilet that has an HOA fee of $1100.00 per MONTH in a complex that does not have enough parking for the 52 units involved. Add to that HOA fee a potential mortgage payment at today's high interest rates, property taxes of $9000.00 each year, and annual property and hurricane insurance premiums of $1900.00 makes a studio condo untenable. The monthly total needed to provide for these costs total about $2000.00 per month before any mortgage payments!
The single family homes in residential neighborhoods that have been purchased by investors and rented out short term would seem to be a better target for providing homes for Maui residents.
NPDES citizen lawsuit letters are under consideration to go out to all Ma'alaea condo AOAOs, and relevant regulators, as a response to Bill 88 passing committee today; condo owners will have Member Cook to thank for this new chapter in his "war on the pewr."
Bill 9 will devastate Maui. It's already doing that. Just repeal it, and we won't need any new zoning changes. Everything was fine before the terms of Bill 9 were dictated by the Mayor and pushed through by the Council. All it's done is lower property values and discourage people from coming here that want a kitchen and a place that feels like home and don't want to spend $500 a night for a hotel room with a $10 bottle of water in their minifridge. And while you're at it, how can you allow higher property taxes for STR owners, including your auntie who owns one here to allow her to afford living here, while charging LESS property taxes for hotel chains who take their profits off island! It's shameful! WAKE UP!
I wonder if Ms. Malama Minn (Realtors Association of Maui) is "educating" potential buyers of residential properties in Ma'alaea, Kahului, Kihei or Lahaina that flush into WWRFs or on-site wastewater treatment systems and connected disposal methods are by definition *not* meeting all permit requirements?
Is she educating potential buyers of the various risks of properties discharging into legally noncompliant wastewater treatment and/or disposal systems? Is she educating potential buyers of the exposure to STR visitors who are liable to become sick or worse from the pathogen-related risks of noncompliant properties?
If not - how awkward for such a profiteer to lecture *anyone* about so-called "uneducated" planning commission members?
Beware of false profits.
If this, or any other property agent, has actually sold you a unit, but did not educate you about these legal and medical risks, you may have significant financial and liability recourse available under real estate law, which is definitive: presale real estate disclosures must include revelation of noncompliant wastewater treatment and disposal systems, and connected health risks to prospective tenants.
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed Bill regarding Short-Term Rental (STR) taxation, as I believe it will significantly harm Maui’s tourism industry.
I visit the island six times a year and have observed a troubling decline in local commerce. Many stores are half-empty, art galleries are struggling, and numerous gift shops and restaurants are operating at a deficit. During my recent visit to downtown Wailuku on Memorial Day, many shops remained closed due to a lack of activity. This is a stark contrast to three years ago, when the area was filled with music, food carts, and a vibrant sense of Aloha.
STR owners provide essential accommodations for middle-class travelers, including visitors from the Midwest, Canada, and the Southwest. While Wailea and Kaanapali offer wonderful luxury options, STRs support a loyal demographic that consistently spends money on the island. Overtaxing these owners threatens the very tourism base that keeps Maui’s economy functioning.
People love Maui, and I love Maui. I urge you to support the island by reconsidering this legislation and starting 2026 on a welcoming note for all visitors and property owners.
I reside on Maui full time with my wife and 4 children. I support this bill. Providing a legal means for vacation rentals to continue to operate is important for the economy and our ability to continue to provide for our family.
One vote against the TIG last time saved my life by convincing me I was not allowed to refuse lifesaving care: IVIG. I started at 405 and am now in a normal range for IgG. Probability of this former vegan accepting human blood product infusion treatment went from 0/100 to 1000/100 after learning that at least one elected official understands and sees what people like me have endured. By the end of the course of treatment I estimate I will probably have accepted over 100K plasma donor's antibodies, and *wouldn't be here* without the good Member from Molokai snapping me out of my mental paralysis and flawed medical decision making.
The person writing this testimony is a cocreation of being seen and witnessed by excellence in human form: the truly great Member from Molokai
Follow her lead! Vote against the TIG today.
Actual hope is contagious, and is life-saving care.
Aloha HLU members. Please approve the H3/H4 zoning and let's move forward with the proper designations for condos that are multi-use residential and vacation rentals. Especially in already planned resort areas. The current in limbo situation is hurting the Maui economy and individual owners as well. Soon the County will also have a serious property tax revenue problem as these Minatoya condos have seen drastic decreases in valuation. Mahalo for your consideration and quick action.
Dear Chair U‘u-Hodgins, Vice Chair Batangan, and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
My wife and I own a condominium that is currently zoned A2/H2 that is identified on Exhibit 2 from the October 13th, 2025, Temporary Investigative Group (TIG) report. We have been actively engaged in the public review process of Bill 9 throughout its legislative life by submitting reasoned testimony at nearly every opportunity and observing public participation and Council deliberations throughout this lengthy process.
We support passage of Bill 88 “clean” to create new H3 and H4 zoning districts that allow for short-term rentals but are “like-for-like” with the development standards in the A1 and A2 zoning districts.
During deliberations on Bill 9, seven councilmembers stated their support for the creation of these new zoning districts. Now that Bill 9 has passed, the time has come for those councilmembers who expressed support for creation of H3 and H4 zones, and hopefully all Councilmembers, to vote yes and pass Bill 88 without amendments or changes.
This is the equitable and thoughtful action needed by the Council at this time and we are requesting the Housing and Land Use Committee make this recommendation.
I am a Maui business owner and full time Hawaii resident. I support the creation of H3/4 zoning to clarify the rights of property owners for the historical and traditional uses of transient accommodation in resort style complexes.
I am in support of Bill 88 to create H3/H4 zones.
I am a 25 year owner in West Maui. Please pass this bill that will help create jobs and maintain the short-term rental market. I purchased property to legally have the intent of short-term rentals.
Unless the county can come up with ways to provide jobs, stabilize tax revenue streams, it seems impossible and short-sighted to take away the added value of short-term rentals to Maui. Without short-term rentals visitors will be restricted to the high-priced resort complexes and they won’t come.
I understand that this is a sensitive issue in the community but I encourage you to find a more balanced solution by the creation of H3/H4 zones.
As a homeowner on Maui, I encourage you to support this item.
The agenda item provides an important mechanism to allow to movement to these new zoning districts and corrects confusion in the current zoning designations.
The agenda item does NOT re-designate any properties. Those discussions can come later.
Dear Chair U‘u-Hodgins, Vice Chair Batangan, and members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
I own a condo that is currently zoned A2/H2 that is identified on Exhibit 2 from the October 13, 2025 Temporary Investigative Group report. I support passage of Bill 88 clean to create new H3 and H4 zoning districts that are “like-for-like” with the A1 and A2 development standards. During deliberations on Bill 9, at least 7 councilmembers specifically expressed support for the creation of these new zoning districts. Now that Bill 9 is passed, the time has come for those councilmembers who expressed support for creation of H3 and H4 zones to vote yes and pass Bill 88 clean.
Welcome to Maui!
Home of the newly minted zoning districts,
lovingly known as:
Doo-Doo Lodgings
Poor people are poor because they make the wrong personal choices?
Money always wins?
Glass is weak?
www.youtube.com/shorts/ns7PQjjqHIo
We need to accept the fact that we are a tourist island. The GE taxes they outrageous mortgage and insurance rates that the condominium owners pay helps to keep our payments down as owners of this island. If we ended this, it would not only affect myself as a business owner that works in the condo community but for everything from appliance fixers to painters to pool cleaners everything. That money is what pays the bills and pays the salaries. Not only that but I don't know a single Lahaina resident that actually wants to live in a one-bedroom condo unless they have to. But we should be building is large hallways with small dwellings around it that are Lahaina residents can reestablish their community. They would love nothing better than to come together to help each other. Just like we should be building an area where the homeless can safely cook their food shower and use the bathrooms and we just turn our eyes away from the problem as the fires come and the filth comes. Why is it it takes it so long for us to figure out what is really right for us?
We really understand the need for housing for the residents of beautiful Maui but it is vital that common sense and not emotion is used in finding a solution. The effort should focus on housing that meets the needs both physically and financially of potential residents needing housing. For example, a condo of 420 sq feet that is a studio with a nice kitchen and shower/toilet that has an HOA fee of $1100.00 per MONTH in a complex that does not have enough parking for the 52 units involved. Add to that HOA fee a potential mortgage payment at today's high interest rates, property taxes of $9000.00 each year, and annual property and hurricane insurance premiums of $1900.00 makes a studio condo untenable. The monthly total needed to provide for these costs total about $2000.00 per month before any mortgage payments!
The single family homes in residential neighborhoods that have been purchased by investors and rented out short term would seem to be a better target for providing homes for Maui residents.
We really understand the need for housing for the residents of beautiful Maui but it is vital that common sense and not emotion is used in finding a solution. The effort should focus on housing that meets the needs both physically and financially of potential residents needing housing. For example, a condo of 420 sq feet that is a studio with a nice kitchen and shower/toilet that has an HOA fee of $1100.00 per MONTH in a complex that does not have enough parking for the 52 units involved. Add to that HOA fee a potential mortgage payment at today's high interest rates, property taxes of $9000.00 each year, and annual property and hurricane insurance premiums of $1900.00 makes a studio condo untenable. The monthly total needed to provide for these costs total about $2000.00 per month before any mortgage payments!
The single family homes in residential neighborhoods that have been purchased by investors and rented out short term would seem to be a better target for providing homes for Maui residents.
Please see attached written testimony.
Aloha,
NPDES citizen lawsuit letters are under consideration to go out to all Ma'alaea condo AOAOs, and relevant regulators, as a response to Bill 88 passing committee today; condo owners will have Member Cook to thank for this new chapter in his "war on the pewr."
Mahalo nui loa
Bill 9 will devastate Maui. It's already doing that. Just repeal it, and we won't need any new zoning changes. Everything was fine before the terms of Bill 9 were dictated by the Mayor and pushed through by the Council. All it's done is lower property values and discourage people from coming here that want a kitchen and a place that feels like home and don't want to spend $500 a night for a hotel room with a $10 bottle of water in their minifridge. And while you're at it, how can you allow higher property taxes for STR owners, including your auntie who owns one here to allow her to afford living here, while charging LESS property taxes for hotel chains who take their profits off island! It's shameful! WAKE UP!
Aloha,
I wonder if Ms. Malama Minn (Realtors Association of Maui) is "educating" potential buyers of residential properties in Ma'alaea, Kahului, Kihei or Lahaina that flush into WWRFs or on-site wastewater treatment systems and connected disposal methods are by definition *not* meeting all permit requirements?
Is she educating potential buyers of the various risks of properties discharging into legally noncompliant wastewater treatment and/or disposal systems? Is she educating potential buyers of the exposure to STR visitors who are liable to become sick or worse from the pathogen-related risks of noncompliant properties?
If not - how awkward for such a profiteer to lecture *anyone* about so-called "uneducated" planning commission members?
Beware of false profits.
If this, or any other property agent, has actually sold you a unit, but did not educate you about these legal and medical risks, you may have significant financial and liability recourse available under real estate law, which is definitive: presale real estate disclosures must include revelation of noncompliant wastewater treatment and disposal systems, and connected health risks to prospective tenants.
Mahalo nui loa for your service.
I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed Bill regarding Short-Term Rental (STR) taxation, as I believe it will significantly harm Maui’s tourism industry.
I visit the island six times a year and have observed a troubling decline in local commerce. Many stores are half-empty, art galleries are struggling, and numerous gift shops and restaurants are operating at a deficit. During my recent visit to downtown Wailuku on Memorial Day, many shops remained closed due to a lack of activity. This is a stark contrast to three years ago, when the area was filled with music, food carts, and a vibrant sense of Aloha.
STR owners provide essential accommodations for middle-class travelers, including visitors from the Midwest, Canada, and the Southwest. While Wailea and Kaanapali offer wonderful luxury options, STRs support a loyal demographic that consistently spends money on the island. Overtaxing these owners threatens the very tourism base that keeps Maui’s economy functioning.
People love Maui, and I love Maui. I urge you to support the island by reconsidering this legislation and starting 2026 on a welcoming note for all visitors and property owners.
Best regards,
Belinda Battistelli-Meeker
I reside on Maui full time with my wife and 4 children. I support this bill. Providing a legal means for vacation rentals to continue to operate is important for the economy and our ability to continue to provide for our family.
Mahalo for the hope!
One vote against the TIG last time saved my life by convincing me I was not allowed to refuse lifesaving care: IVIG. I started at 405 and am now in a normal range for IgG. Probability of this former vegan accepting human blood product infusion treatment went from 0/100 to 1000/100 after learning that at least one elected official understands and sees what people like me have endured. By the end of the course of treatment I estimate I will probably have accepted over 100K plasma donor's antibodies, and *wouldn't be here* without the good Member from Molokai snapping me out of my mental paralysis and flawed medical decision making.
The person writing this testimony is a cocreation of being seen and witnessed by excellence in human form: the truly great Member from Molokai
Follow her lead! Vote against the TIG today.
Actual hope is contagious, and is life-saving care.
Share it.
Aloha!
I fully support the creation of H3/H4 zoning through Bill 88.
Karen Grafe
Kihei
Testimonies received from HLU Committee:
5/21: 1
5/22: 2
5/23: 12
5/24: 23
5/25: 15
5/26: 10 as of 7:48 a.m.
Aloha HLU members. Please approve the H3/H4 zoning and let's move forward with the proper designations for condos that are multi-use residential and vacation rentals. Especially in already planned resort areas. The current in limbo situation is hurting the Maui economy and individual owners as well. Soon the County will also have a serious property tax revenue problem as these Minatoya condos have seen drastic decreases in valuation. Mahalo for your consideration and quick action.
May 25, 2026
Honorable Nohelani U’u-Hodgins
Honorable Kauanoe Batangan
Dear Chair U‘u-Hodgins, Vice Chair Batangan, and Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
My wife and I own a condominium that is currently zoned A2/H2 that is identified on Exhibit 2 from the October 13th, 2025, Temporary Investigative Group (TIG) report. We have been actively engaged in the public review process of Bill 9 throughout its legislative life by submitting reasoned testimony at nearly every opportunity and observing public participation and Council deliberations throughout this lengthy process.
We support passage of Bill 88 “clean” to create new H3 and H4 zoning districts that allow for short-term rentals but are “like-for-like” with the development standards in the A1 and A2 zoning districts.
During deliberations on Bill 9, seven councilmembers stated their support for the creation of these new zoning districts. Now that Bill 9 has passed, the time has come for those councilmembers who expressed support for creation of H3 and H4 zones, and hopefully all Councilmembers, to vote yes and pass Bill 88 without amendments or changes.
This is the equitable and thoughtful action needed by the Council at this time and we are requesting the Housing and Land Use Committee make this recommendation.
Sam Engel
I am a Maui business owner and full time Hawaii resident. I support the creation of H3/4 zoning to clarify the rights of property owners for the historical and traditional uses of transient accommodation in resort style complexes.
I am in support of Bill 88 to create H3/H4 zones.
I am a 25 year owner in West Maui. Please pass this bill that will help create jobs and maintain the short-term rental market. I purchased property to legally have the intent of short-term rentals.
Unless the county can come up with ways to provide jobs, stabilize tax revenue streams, it seems impossible and short-sighted to take away the added value of short-term rentals to Maui. Without short-term rentals visitors will be restricted to the high-priced resort complexes and they won’t come.
I understand that this is a sensitive issue in the community but I encourage you to find a more balanced solution by the creation of H3/H4 zones.
As a homeowner on Maui, I encourage you to support this item.
The agenda item provides an important mechanism to allow to movement to these new zoning districts and corrects confusion in the current zoning designations.
The agenda item does NOT re-designate any properties. Those discussions can come later.
This is a sensible next step.
--Michael Gallagher
Walilea Ekolu 310
Dear Chair U‘u-Hodgins, Vice Chair Batangan, and members of the Housing and Land Use Committee:
I own a condo that is currently zoned A2/H2 that is identified on Exhibit 2 from the October 13, 2025 Temporary Investigative Group report. I support passage of Bill 88 clean to create new H3 and H4 zoning districts that are “like-for-like” with the A1 and A2 development standards. During deliberations on Bill 9, at least 7 councilmembers specifically expressed support for the creation of these new zoning districts. Now that Bill 9 is passed, the time has come for those councilmembers who expressed support for creation of H3 and H4 zones to vote yes and pass Bill 88 clean.