The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Maui Planning Commission on July 8, 2025.
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July 8, 2025, 9 a.m.
Remote meeting
To: Maui Planning Commission
Kim Thayer, Chair
Ashley Lindsey, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
RE: Item A(4) — A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 19.64 (BED AND BREAKFAST HOMES), MAUI COUNTY CODE
Aloha Chair Thayer, Vice Chair Lindsey and other members of the Commission,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports item A(4), which would waive registration rules for bed and breakfasts destroyed in a disaster declared to be a state or local emergency.
This bill is critical for bed and breakfast owners looking to rebuild after the 2023 wildfires. At least five West Maui bed and breakfasts were damaged or destroyed in the fires. Table 1 contains further information.
Current county ordinance requires that would-be bed and breakfast operators must have owned their dwellings for at least five years — and the dwellings must be at least five years old — before they can apply for a bed and breakfast permit.
Rules also require that a person applying for a bed and breakfast permit must live in the dwelling — a situation that is impossible if the dwelling was damaged or destroyed in the fires.
Waiving these two parts of the code would help Lahaina’s bed and breakfast proprietors get back on their feet economically and contribute to the county and state tax base as well. The bill would also codify such a waiver for future disasters.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
