#tvr

A proposal to establish new hotel zoning districts — a move that would allow roughly 4,500 short-term vacation rentals to survive a looming phase-out — faces an uncertain future after the measure was resoundingly rejected last month by the Maui Planning Commission.

Hawaiʻi’s economy is moving beyond last year’s mild recession, but the recovery will be gradual, according to the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s first quarter forecast for 2026 released on Feb. 27. Maui is the standout, as ongoing recovery from the disastrous 2023 wildfires will continue to propel rising tourism activity, if at a slower pace than last year.

A group of West Maui property owners has filed the first legal challenge against Maui County’s controversial Bill 9, days after Mayor Richard Bissen signed the legislation into law. Filed Dec. 19 in 2nd Circuit Court, the lawsuit seeks to block the county from phasing out thousands of short-term rental units in apartment-zoned districts. The […]

Maui County Council Chair Alice L. Lee announced that first reading of the bill to phase out transient vacation rentals in Apartment Districts will be scheduled for a council meeting hopefully in December while the council turns its attention to filling the vacancy created by the passing of Council Member Tasha Kama.

Maui Resort Rentals, the leading vacation rental management company on Maui, has formally announced its acquisition of Newport Beach-based Beachview Rentals and the creation of a new parent company, Dream Resorts. 

Lahaina Strong is calling on the Maui County Council to pass Bill 9 in its “clean form—without carve-outs, amendments, or delay,” and has launched a petition detailing their request.

The Maui County Council will meet Tuesday, Aug. 12 at 9 a.m. to consider the mayor’s requests to amend the fiscal year 2026 budget for the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney and Department of Water Supply a bill to establish discounted water rates for preservation and restoration of native species habitats. On Wednesday, the council will hold a concurrent public hearing and council meeting for final reading on bills amending land-use entitlements for Honuaʻula, the former Wailea 670, a Kīhei-Mākena development project.

A newsletter with information on a proposal to phase out transient vacation rental use in apartment districts is being delivered to homes across Maui County this week, Council Presiding Officer Pro Tempore Tasha Kama announced today.

While Maui County’s resident population of roughly 164,000 represents about 11% of Hawaiʻi state residents overall, the Tri-Isle county had the highest supply of available vacation rental unit nights of any county in the state in August, according to a report by the Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.

Earlier this summer, UHERO published its analysis of Maui’s legislation to regulate Transient Vacation Rental (TVR) properties, stating, “If the policy is enacted in full, it would increase Maui’s long-term residential housing stock by 13%, representing a dramatic increase in housing supply,” said UHERO’s economists. “Reductions in tourism or property tax revenues would also present serious challenges to Maui County… Understanding the broad impacts of this policy will be key to understanding future economic conditions on Maui.”

The new fiscal year begins today, July 1. “Our housing crisis, exacerbated by the fires, remains a top priority for all elected officials and administrators,” said Council Chair Alice Lee, pointing to a report that indicates more than 4,000 residents have already left Maui in search of housing elsewhere. “We must take care of and protect our families,” she said.

Op-ed Commentary submitted by The Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi: ‘Wildly unbalanced’ planning commission potential problem for Bissen’s TVR phase-out. *****Views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author’s alone and do not reflect or represent the opinions, policies or positions of Maui Now.*****  

The past year has brought significant shocks to the housing market in Hawaiʻi. Per the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), overall transactions in 2023 was only half of what it was in 2021, and fewer single family homes were transacted in Hawaiʻi last year than in any of the last 25 years.

“We cannot pretend that we are still in the wake of a smoldering burn zone, and any roof over anyone’s head is an acceptable alternative. We are too far from that moment to not think about what is happening to the island of Maui, its economy and its people,” said Sen. Schatz.

Comprising 10 bills and two resolutions, the measures reflect the bipartisan efforts of six interim House working groups that collaborated with subject experts and various agencies and engaged in extensive discussions relating to the Lahaina wildfire.

In an ongoing effort to manage tourism, the Maui County Council passed Bill 159 Friday with a series of amendments that effectively caps transient accommodations and regulates camper van rentals on public property.