The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Maui County Council Disaster Recovery, International Affairs and Planning Committee on May 14, 2025.
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May 14, 2025, 1:30 p.m.
Council Chamber, Kalana O Maui Building
To: Maui County Council Disaster Recovery, International Affairs and Planning
Committee
Tamara Paltin, Chair
Nohelani U‘u-Hodgins, Vice Chair
From: Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
RE: Bill 104 (2024) — RELATING TO KITCHENETTES, KITCHENS, DWELLING UNITS AND WET BARS
Aloha Chair Paltin, Vice Chair U‘u-Hodgins and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 104 (2024), which would allow up to two kitchenettes in dwellings in the residential and rural zoning districts of Maui and Lanai.
The bill defines “kitchenette” as an area “used for the small-scale preparation and serving of food and beverages that may contain a sink, a refrigerator … and small appliances for the preparation of hot food or beverages, such as counter-top appliances and/or a two-burner range.”[1]
In essence, this bill is responding to the reality that often an individual or family occupying only part of a house will want access to a sink, refrigerator and a countertop to prepare food. Current code allows only one kitchen per dwelling unit, thus discouraging multigenerational households and rooming.
Allowing homeowners in residential and rural zones to legally install small sinks, refrigerators and other appliances would increase the availability of housing by increasing the amount of space with normal amenities.
Since many Maui households displaced by the August 2023 wildfires have been and will be living together for some time, this bill is a smart, simple approach to a big problem.
Legalizing kitchenettes also appears to be in line with the 2012 Maui Island Plan, which states in “Chapter 5: Housing” that “increasing the density of housing is a more efficient use of land. It also saves on linear miles of roads, water lines and other utilities that need to be built and maintained. Increasing the density of housing also preserves more land for agriculture and open space.”[2]
Likewise, one of the policies outlined in that section mentioned the County should “use planning and regulatory approaches to provide higher housing densities.”[3]
There are several proposed amendments to the bill. Chair Paltin’s CD1 amendment would limit the number of kitchenettes to one, instead of two. In addition, a CD1 from the Planning Department would prohibit gas appliances from being installed in kitchenettes and would prohibit kitchenettes in ADUs.
Grassroot prefers the current draft of the bill, since it gives intergenerational households more flexibility in determining their home layouts and living arrangements.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Kate Blystone, “A Bill For an Ordinance Amending Section 19.500.110, Maui County Code, Regarding Nonconformities,” letter to the Maui, Molokai and Lanai planning commissions, Feb. 21, 2024, p. 3.
[2] “Maui Island Plan,” Maui County Planning Department, Dec. 28, 2012, pp. 5-4 and 5-5.
[3] Ibid, pp. 5-6.
