HONOLULU (KHON2) — About half of the Maui condominiums that were heading toward losing vacation rentals could be spared.
A county council group was tasked with reviewing the impact of Bill 9, which would phase out transient vacation rental uses in apartment districts.
They released recommendations today that included letting more than buildings on the so-called “Minatoya List” get a proposed new hotel district designation.
That would spare about 4,500 out of nearly 7,000 units. The public got a chance to weigh in on the idea.
“They’ve got a front desk, they’ve got bellhops, they’ve got restaurants, they employ maids, they employ laundry services, they should stay hotels but the ones that are substantially apartments should stay apartments,” said David Diven, an owner at Napili Ridge.
The move to split the list would require legislation.
The council group mentioned sea level rise as among the reasons not to force some buildings to change back to only long-term rentals.
“When we’re looking at the sea level rise and the places that are in this, we’re looking at the year 2100 and that’s a long time from now to be looking too far ahead when our people need something right now,” Paele Kiakona, a Lahaina Strong organizer, said.
The council group also recommended that vacation rentals in apartment districts located on Molokai not be phased out, regardless of what occurs on Maui island.
For more information, read the study presented at the Members of the Housing and Land Use Committee.