Visitor Accommodations Moratorium & Condo Registrations going to Planning Commission
On Friday June 18th the county council approved the transmittal of a proposed resolution entitled "REFERRING TO THE MAUI PLANNING COMMISSION A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING CHAPTERS 19.98 AND 20.41, MAUI COUNTY CODE, DECLARING A MORATORIUM ON NEW TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS ON MAUI."
The resolution from council member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez includes the establishment of a Temporary Investigative Group by the Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee to look at tourism management. Fernandez said at the meeting and further explained in an Op Ed piece in the Maui News that, “A main focus of this TIG will be a substantial reduction of vacation rentals, including the approximately 11,000 units on the short-term occupancy list and aggressive enforcement of illegal transient accommodations. This is an effort that is supported by the hotel industry and unions alike, and I look forward to working closely with them during the TIG process. Steering tourism back into the hotel and resort areas is of high priority.”
(https://www.mauinews.com/opinion/columns/2021/06/transient-accommodations-moratorium-prioritizes-management-of-tourism/)
We know vacation rentals are a legitimate part of a diversified and healthy transient accommodations industry for Maui. This TIG is of concern, the members of this TIG should also be working with members of the vacation rental industry and not only the hotel unions when looking at tourism management of Maui. We anticipate this item appearing on the planning commission agenda around September.
Another item on the planning commission agenda of July 13th is the creation of a registration system for the legal permitted short term rental condos. Here is the Planning Department report on the proposed ordinance
https://www.mauicounty.gov/DocumentCenter/View/126257/Draft-Bill-for-Ordinance-Relating-to-Chapter-1912-Apartment-District-Vacation-Rentals?bidId
For more updates like these sign up for our newsletter!
