There is a huge crisis in the state of Hawaii! There are thousands of people that are not homeless but live in homes that are built for just a single family, but end up housing multiple families because that is all they can collectively afford. There is a growing sense of sadness and a loss of hope of ever owning a home in Hawaii.
There is a growing trend of the young going to mainland colleges, and not returning to live in Hawaii because of the cost of living and owning a home. There is a growing number of people moving to the mainland for a better life.
The recent tragic wildfire on Maui brought to light the extreme crisis of the housing shortage on Maui, and the part that the short-term vacation rentals play. Thousands of Lahaina’s fire victims cannot find a place to rent, simply because there are none or just not affordable. There are many cases of families being shuffled from place to place, five or more times. Many have chosen to camp on the beach instead of the uncertainty of when they will have to move again. Part of the anger and frustration of people caught in this turmoil is the failure in resolving this issue of emergency housing with the short-term vacation sector.
The governor and leaders of the state Legislature have stated that of the highest priority is the short-term vacation rentals issue, and to take it “head on” in this session. This is so welcomed, but so sorry that it is the results of the pain, the suffering and the scars of the people of Lahaina. There are 26,000 short-term vacation rentals on Maui.
This is not a letter against short-term vacation rentals (STVR). This is about STVRs being in harmony with the community and its culture. The Tribune Herald and West Hawaii Today reported that the first hearing on Bill 121 featured “hours of backlash.” This is a very profitable business, and so it is only natural to generate an organized effort to protect their financial interest.
This is your community. You know its specialness from the rest of the world. You know that it is more than just a beautiful environment. You know the specialness of the culture and its cosmopolitan people.
“The world will turn to Hawaii as they search for world peace, because Hawaii has the key … and the key is aloha.” — Aunty Pilahi Paki, 1970.
STVR seems to be filling a niche in the tourism industry, but where these rentals are located and how they are operated, is critically important.
The demand and growth of STVRs has changed dramatically since the involvement of Airbnb in 2008 by making it easier and more profitable to rent spare rooms or an entire home. Throughout communities on the mainland, people have noticed problems of so much housing turning into STVRs. This action removes affordable housing from the market and is creating a growing conflict between the community and the renters.
Your Hawaii County Council, with the leadership of Chair Heather Kimball, has developed and introduced Bills 121, 122 and 123, which addresses some of these shortcomings of the existing Hawaii regulations passed in 2018. These are very good changes that should be strongly supported.
We should be thankful for the council’s work in continuing to make Hawaii a nice place to live. This is the kuleana not just for the council, but for all who call Hawaii home. For the children, for the community. Please get informed, please get involved.
The proposed bills improve upon the existing regulation by:
1) Unified framework. The proposed bill applies common procedure, standards and enforcement for owner-hosted, operator-hosted and unhosted vacation rentals. The operator-hosted category is a new category that has not been previously recognized. The bill provides improved regulation of owner-hosted (bed and breakfast) and unhosted vacation rentals over existing regulations.
2) Consistent definitions. The bill changes the definition “short-term vacation rentals” (30 days or less) to be consistent with the state’s definition “of transient accommodations (180 days or less). The state’s definition determines who must pay transient accommodation taxes.
3) Enforcement. The proposed bill improves the standards by which transient accommodations must operate to minimize impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. The penalties have been increased and enforcement powers strengthened.
4) Long-term rental supply. The proposed bill prohibits using accessory dwellings (also known as “ohana dwellings”) as transient accommodation rentals. It also encourages homeowners to build and make available accessory dwellings by removing regulatory barriers.
Harry Kim is a former mayor of Hawaii County.
