WAILUKU >> Maui County planning officials are looking at legalizing about 3,000 unlicensed vacation rental units -- part of a multimillion-dollar industry. Maui may legalize
3,000 vacation rentalsWorkshops will invite
comments on permits, property
values and overzealous policeBy Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.com
Deputy Planning Director Clayton Yoshida said county officials also are looking into the complaints of excessive enforcement and reviewing ordinances governing vacation rentals, including legalization.
The Maui Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a workshop about the vacation rental issue at 2 p.m. today at its conference room in Wailuku. Workshops are also scheduled on Molokai at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Mitchell Pauole Center in Kaunakakai, and at 7 p.m. July 17 on Lanai at the Lanai Public Library.
Under a county ordinance, a room or dwelling that is not rented at least 180 days consecutively to the same guest is regarded as a vacation rental and requires a county conditional-use permit.
Critics say vacation rentals create excessive noise and parking problems and unfairly raise the value of properties in residential, rural and agricultural areas.
Vacation rental operators say the system of obtaining a conditional-use permit, which is only good for a year, is cumbersome and that it takes at least a year to receive approval.
Conditional-use permits have been issued to about 30 bed-and-breakfast operations and 10 vacation rental owners, with a combined 45 others under review, the county said.
David Dantes, vice president of the Maui Vacation Rental Association, said he understands the need to have zoning laws for safety reasons but views some of the county enforcement actions as excessive.
Dantes said at one vacation rental, police executed search warrants, seized documents and interviewed guests.
Dantes, a vacation rental operator in Huelo who is currently seeking a conditional-use permit, said he feels the county should be looking at ways of bringing the estimated 3,000-room businesses into compliance without severe tactics.
He said the vacation rental industry, which generates an estimated $150 million annually on Maui, fills a niche in the visitor market, attracting many who prefer accommodations away from resort areas.
Dantes said the association favors a plan that would require vacation rental operators to provide parking for guests on their property.
He said that if there were complaints about the noise, parking or traffic, the county would have the option of withdrawing the permit.
Critics also say because vacation rentals are assessed at higher values due to sales, the surrounding residences sometimes are getting hit with higher property taxes.
Dantes said the association believes the problem could be solved by identifying the vacation rentals and making sure county assessors do not include these visitor accommodations in assessing the worth of neighbors' properties.
Yoshida said the county has not been targeting the industry and that many enforcement actions arise from complaints from residents.
County of Maui
