Today’s Maui News has another article on the latest efforts of the Maui County Council Planning Committee to craft a new Bed and Breakfast ordinance. We have been following committee discussions on the Maui Real Estate Blog since this spring. While recent meetings resulted in significant progress being made, I have to admit that the update from this week’s meeting suggests that the battle still has some ways to go before we come to resolution.

The one item of progress pertained to bed and breakfasts on agriculturally zoned lands. The committee agreed to exempt existing permitted and non-permitted bed and breakfasts on agricultural land from a requirement to produce $35,000 of gross farm revenue over a two year period. While that was a step in the right direction, the Maui Vacation Rental Association (MVRA) requested that cap numbers on bed and breakfasts be reviewed again. They wanted to see more B&B’s in the North Shore, Upcountry, and East Maui areas. The MVRA suggested reducing numbers in West Maui and South Maui where the bulk of the island’s resort accommodations are located. The MVRA raised the issue of reviewing the tax classification of B&B’s. They also wanted to discuss the possibility of an interim permit process that would allow TVRs and B&B’s to continue to operate while regulations are being completed. It sounds as if these issues will find their way on to the agenda of future planning committee meetings. They will need to be resolved before the ordinance goes in front of the full council for a vote. We will continue to follow this issue on The Maui Real Estate Blog.

Pete Jalbert