Ask the Mayor: Too Many Renters, Not Enough Parking

Maui Now stock photo.

Mayor Alan Arakawa answers some of the questions submitted to his staff.

Submit your own questions about County of Maui programs, services, operations or policies to Mayor Alan Arakawa at AskTheMayor@mauicounty.gov, 270-7855 or mail them to 200 S. High St., 9th Floor, Wailuku, HI 96793.

Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column.

Hello,

 Q: I have a question about landlords and renters: If a landlord has multiple renters in a household, shouldn’t there be a limited amount of parking for them, especially if the street is crowded enough? I feel like it’s only fair if whoever lives in front of the house parks in front of the house—not down the street away from the house just because the landlord didn’t give these renters a specific rule about the parking limit.

This landlord “owns” two houses on the street and has multiple people renting from him BUT the renters are always struggling to find parking on the street. And I don’t even think it’s fair for those who are not renting but need to park on the side of the road or below the street just because the landlord rents to people who have more cars than spaces where they can park. And especially if they park in front of other people’s mailboxes every time and the mailman always just passes us and doesn’t give us our mail. It’s really rude. Is it possible to put cones on the side of the road by the mailbox?

A: No, cones are not advisable, but you can call Maui Police Department’s non-emergency line at 244-7600 to report the parking violation if your mailbox is blocked Monday through Saturday between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

Off-street parking requirements are found in Chapter 19.36A of the Maui County Code. The requirement for single-family homes is two parking spaces for each dwelling unit, and ‘ohana units, one parking space for each dwelling unit; these requirements are regardless of how many people live there, and whether they are owners or tenants.

The Planning Department is working on amendments to this chapter that will, among other changes, increase the parking requirement for single-family homes with many bedrooms. Planning recognizes that large homes with several bedrooms need to provide more off-street parking than just two spaces as is required today.

The Maui County Code also provides restrictions on overnight parking, as well as restrictions on how close vehicles can park near public or private driveways.

With regard to overnight parking (Chapter 10.48.110), no person shall park a vehicle on any roadway for a period longer than 20 minutes between 2 and 6 a.m. MPD says that for the most part, these offenses are complaint-driven and one would have to call their non-emergency number to lodge a complaint. An officer would respond to the scene and note the vehicle’s position via the odometer or by marking the tires. The officer would then return 20 minutes later to determine if the vehicle was in fact moved. If no movement is detected, the vehicle would receive a parking citation.