On Friday, March 6 at 3 pm at the Kalana Pakui Conference Room at 250 S. High Street, the County of Planning Department hosted a community meeting regarding the potential phase out of Short Term Rental Home #STRH Permits. Their presentation was made to a standing room only packed meeting room. They did one presentation and then cleared the room and did the presentation a second time so that everyone would get a chance to hear it. Both times to a standing room only crowd.

While the supporters outnumbered opponents 50 to 1, and made some very good arguments during the Q & A, we do not yet know what Director Michele McLean and Planner Jacky Takakura will put out in their report.

The major concern of the planning department was that they hear the complaint, “We do not know our neighbors” at some of the planning commission meetings when people are applying for permits. Enforcement of illegal operations was another concern.

However, they did not know exactly how many of these complaints they have actually encountered. In addition, the Planning Department said they were working on enforcement, and their current enforcement report touts success in bringing the number of illegal rentals down. Finally, very few complaints are heard on actual permitted properties.

You can view the meeting presentation and subsequent Q and A session (3 videos) on the Maui Vacation Rental Association Facebook page: at https://www.facebook.com/MauiVacationRentalAssociation

or on our youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClxP9lsTRy682JG_CF5Q7Ew?view_as=subscriber

At the beginning of Video 2 Councilmember Tamara Paltin explains some of her plans regarding the Minatoya List condos.

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We would also like to invite you to our private facebook group forum at https://www.facebook.com/groups/460872007784925/

If there is something to learn here, its that we have to be engaged as a group, and continue to keep informing the public and the planning department that the short term rental industry is a positive influence in our community. That there is value in the network of small businesses that surround the rentals. That there are very little complaints on permitted homes in the community. Short term rentals are not increasing home prices. Short Term Rental Homes are not diminishing affordable housing. In fact, Short Term Rentals are the single biggest contributor to the county’s Affordable Housing Fund with over $2 million for the fiscal year 2019-2020. See the chart below for the breakdowns in all categories.

Source: Real Property Tax County of Maui

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You can also read the Maui News article on Friday’s meeting at https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2020/03/short-term-rental-talk-draws-crowd-owners-ban-of-vacation-rentals-would-punish-the-legal-operators/