| # | Name | What City or Town Do You Live In? | Comments |
|---|
| 1 | Tom Croly | Kihei | Please reform the B&B and vaction rental permit process to encourage complience. |
| 2 | Sharyn Stone | Huelo | I filed my permit almost 6 years ago, and I expect the government absolutely to keep its word that I shall be allowed to stay in business until my permit is processed. I do not agree with Mr Hunt's assumption that the County has no time frame to complete a conditional use permit application! On the contrary, the County is obligated to process permits in a "timely" manner. |
| 3 | Rosalind Nelson | Haiku | I need to earn a living in retirement until I die. You have taken that away from me if your change of Land Use goes through. Please reconsider your thoughts as this 180 degree turn about will have very serious repercussions for not only people like me, but the domino effect. |
| 4 | Anonymous | Haiku | |
| 5 | naomi | Haiku | Pls don't hurt our communities. So many of us benefit from these vacation rentals:
*Mothers are working closer to home & their school-age children because they work these jobs.
*Paia/ Kuau mom & pop shops are surviving inspite of the competition from 'big box' stores, again, because of the increase visitors staying in these areas.
*Students are attending MCC right now, and, paying for their tuition, because of the workable hours of these jobs.
*Single-moms are earning enough to keep a roof over their children's head, providing them w/ their needs & even some of their wants, because of these vacation rentals.
(This is the other side of the coin, the 'local factor', that is being overlooked.) The bottom line is this, we
are the ones who will be out in the 'cold' when vacation rentals are shut down by the county. Please allow our local families to continue to thrive, please allow our communities to do the same. It would be wrong to cause so many to suffer by arbitrarily shutting down our work. |
| 6 | Dennis Vandevelde | Haiku | With all do respect. What are you doing? I have so many friends that come to visit and want to stay on this side only. They will not come back here if they have to stay in the tourist area. All there freinds and famlies live here. We would rather all go to some other vacation area to stay to all be together and enjoy. These people are offering a wonderful service. There is way less impact on the area with visitors. And they spend lots of money to our businesses. This is not good judgement at all. |
| 7 | Anonymous | Paia | I am strongly in favor of developing a fair, workable vacation rental policy for homeowners ASAP. There are several reasons:
1. The negative economic impact on the community will be far greater than the County has anticipated.
2. I have lived next to long term rental neighbors and vacation rental neighbors. Guess which ones I had problems with. LONG TERM. Drug dealers, domestic disputes in the early hours of the morning, trespassing on my property. I have never ever had a problem with vacation rental neighbors. |
| 8 | Pat Johnson | Haiku, HI | |
| 9 | Robert Boyd | Paia, HI | |
| 10 | Kevin Ledesma | haiku | I understand that there is a process taking place for the reforming of the current permitting regulation. I highly incourage the public from both/all sides of the issue to be a part of the reform process especially during the initial drafting.
I would be happy to volunteer my time and efforts to be a part of the process to bring this issue to a harmonious and benificial place of the Maui fabric of life.
Thank you for your time and consideration. |
| 11 | Pete Jalbert | Paia | I am deeply concerned about the impact of the vacation rental ban on the businesses of the north shore. Restaurants and retailers both depend on Maui visitors staying on the North Shore for revenue. Most of the visitors who stay in this area currently are not going to opt for the condos of Kihei. They want an alternative to traditional lodging and the traditional tourist experience. They are more likely to take their business to other destination locations than they are to go to other areas of Maui. I understand the need for regulation and I am completely sympathetic to the need for affordable housing. I just don't think a ban that will ultimately hurt the businesses of the North Shore is the best way to address either of these issues. |
| 12 | angela Cochran-Farrell | paia | |
| 13 | Tamera Sandvold | Spreckelsville | |
| 14 | Ashlie McLean | Haiku | My vacation rental supports organic agriculture on the old pineapple land we live on. It we are shut down, I will have no time or money to continue to grow food, flowers and natives because I will be too busy commuting to the southside to work! |
| 15 | Barbara Kline | Haiku | Redgulate the visitor vacation rental industry. Many tourist will not choose to come to Maui if they can not stay in vacation rentals. |
| 16 | Daniel Boone | Kihei | |
| 17 | Sandra Carr | Haiku | How can the county collect taxes from these businesses and legally close them? Why doesn't the county think through this decision. Hunt is like a corporate robot, with no long term vision for the future. If the county wants to regulate vacation rentals, they should update their outdated laws as opposed to wasting tax dollars with short sited solutions. |
| 18 | June Haygood | Haiku | I am a single mother with four children. I am a housekeeper and also clean vacation rentals on the North Shore. The vacation rental cleanings come to about half of my monthly income. I have really enjoyed cleaning the rentals because the work pays well and my schedule is flexible so I can take care of the kids. I also enjoy doing the physical labor and looking out the window of the rentals to see the beauty of Maui. I don't believe that any of the vacation rentals I clean will be affordable as long-term rentals to the majority of Maui residents. I believe that these rentals should continue as vacation rentals to give locals much needed jobs. I am friends with a lady that cuts and arranges flowers for vacation rentals. She'll be out of work, as well as alot of really good people. I heard that all of the vacation rentals I've cleaned have complied with the law, but may still be put out of business. I don't understand what's going on. |
| 19 | Anonymous | haiku | vacation rentals are needed as much as the hotels and the condominiums |
| 20 | Claudia Ledesma | Haiku | |
| 21 | Anonymous | Haiku | The vacation rentals are not in crisis - they are a thriving income for the families of Maui - they are not creating problems - they are creating jobs and a good economy - they also are well cared for and clearly have not changed the landscape of the North Shore. It is still rural, and does not have a hotel culture. This administration is creating a crisis they don't fully understand the ramifications of. The rest of our country is going through a real estate crisis - ours is always delayed and is right around the corner. With this additional loss of income - foreclosures, abandoned properties and displaced families will follow. Governmental assistance will be necessary to scoop up those that can't make it. It is unimaginable that our elected officials - instead of doing the hard work of fixing a bad law that serves no one - has decided to hamstring their otherwise law-abiding citizens. We do not want to be living outside the law - we want to comply - please re-draft a law that makes sense so that vacation rentals can operate lawfully. They clearly serve a purpose for those running them and those wishing to experience a more true Maui - if there wasn't a need - they wouldn't exist. PLEASE WAKE UP! |
| 22 | Tom Caltrider | Haiku | I think the County's position is going to dramatically hurt a large number of Maui residents and not help anyone. |
| 23 | zoee crowley | waliuku | I am very interested in keeping the B&B on maui, they contribute greatly to our weathlfare here. |
| 24 | Manish | Haiku | |
| 25 | Colin Gardner | Haliimaile | Outrageous ... with the current corruption in local government this action is laughable! |
| 26 | Ronelle Esty | Wailuku | I personnally think banning this is very crazy as it not only effects the renters it will take away alot of jobs here on Maui.that people will be looking for jobs. |
| 27 | clovis r miranda | wailuku | i agree with you 100% aloha
roberto miranda |
| 28 | armin engert | kahului | |
| 29 | karin engert | kahului | |
| 30 | silvan engert | kahului | |
| 31 | makeshta peros | haiku | These Businesses bring commerce to a rural part of Maui where people are looking for an eco friendly vacation in a garden setting. |
| 32 | Bari Barnes | Haiku | |
| 33 | Anonymous | haiku | |
| 34 | Cindy Biggers | Haiku | |
| 35 | Lawrence Taylor | Kahana | A government for the people would in no way allow the unfair treatment of it's tax paying citizens. For years the county has allowed the use of TVRs to exist and as a result have set prescedence. It is extremely unfair to our fellow citizens to have them shutdown for several undertermined months when they have established their TVR as dependent income. This could create hardships and even loss of property. Yes, I do think TVRs should be regulated but their must be some form of amnesty and a period in which any TVR has the opportunity to comply with new laws or regulations without having to shutdown operations. |
| 36 | Nancy O'neal | Haiku | Why would the county of Maui, and Hunt, side with the giant corporate hotels, as opposed to the hard working local people in Maui? It makes you wonder if the large hotel chains are paying Hunt to shut down small businesses in Maui. Hunt is in a leadership position, and he demonstrates no ability to be a visionary for the Island of Maui and especially the people of Maui. What sort of leader, would allow the county to collect taxes from businesses and turn around and shut those same businesses down for "illegal" operation. I say the 800 vacation rental operators need to file a class action lawsuit against Hunt, and the County of Maui. A leader is solution oriented, and responsive to the needs of the community. The current permitting process is insulting. It shows how wasteful the county government can be. To ignore the outdated permitting process, is a joke.
Why does Hunt ignore the solution. My guess is the big corporate hotel chains are lining Hunt's pockets. We need a class action lawsuit now!! |
| 37 | Steve Slater | Huelo | When my wife and I first came to Maui at the end of 1982, aerial spray planes would pass over the Hana Highway and not even shut off their spray jets. Cane burning included massive amounts of PVC pipes. We were told that we had to expose our young children to these dangers because it meant Jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs was the excuse for a huge amount of environmental an health abuses. As many jobs are probably being lost to this selective zoning enforcement as all of the Cane and Pineapple jobs, but that does not seem to matter. Enforce the Law? Which laws?, Meth, breakins, political corruption, massive ocean dumping, gulch dumping, toxic burning, fighting cock yards, trash cars, . . . also, long term rentals are not a permitted use of Ag land either. |
| 38 | Stacy Soderholm | Kula | With the high cost of living (and ridiculous GE tax situation making it worse), for many families a vacation rental is the only way they can make ends meet. Short-term use of a home or guest house does NOT increase traffic or problems in an area. In fact, long-term renters are far more likely to throw loud parties and otherwise cause problems. Vacation rentals fill a vital niche in the tourist industry upon which our state's economy depends. Do not put them out of business - allow them to operate legally, without making a permit prohibitively expensive, restrictive, or difficult to get! |
| 39 | Susanne Langford | Kihei | My husband and I traveled all over Europe and stayed always and exclusively in vacation rentals mostly in areas where there were no hotels. We prefer vacation rentals stays over a hotel stay since we prefer to travel more independently. I cannot believe that Maui wishes to not offer anything for us and many other travelers alike. Let me ask you where we are supposed to stay when visiting Hana after all? |
| 40 | Anonymous | Haiku | My parents come every year for 6 weeks all the way from France. They don't have the budget to stay in resorts and don't want to stay in a condo. They have been renting year after year the same little cottage on the North Shore. Where are they going to be staying if vacation rentals are banned from Maui? They rent a car, go out to restaurants... |
| 41 | Richard Ross | Haiku | As we know more and more major hotels are being converted into condominiums. These condominiums are mostly owned by mainlanders and are rented to other mainlanders when they are not being used by the owners. Just, as in the case of hotels this rental money flows to the owners on the mainland. In the case of a bed and breakfast, the money is paid to the owners who live here. This money stays on Maui and is spent here supporting the local economy. That's just one of the many reasons for supporting the local bed and breakfast operators. |
| 42 | Anonymous | Saratoga, CA | Please DO NOT BAN vacation rental homes from MAUI. I personally give alot of work the local business and local residents. |
| 43 | Gayln Sweet | Paia | |
| 44 | Anonymous | Haiku | Enough already! What would the World do without Vacation Rentals? I just came back from vacation in California visiting my sister...I was able to stay near her because of a vacation rental there. There were no hotels in her area! The same is true here for Maui's North Shore....there are no hotels on this side ...why is this so hard for the county to understand? Stop looking at this from the 'permit' angle and see what Maui needs.,...Yes, I agree that a permit is required...but gee, cant you work out a way to make it quick and simple? Who are the people in charge...Man, I would not hire them to work for me if they can not even make a simple form up and a set of rules to comply by - Oh shoot, I just realised that as a voter that they do work for me...can we fire them? |
| 45 | Anonymous | haiku | |
| 46 | Richard Lopez | Haiku | To provide a strong economic base for Hawaii, we need to diversify our visitor industry. The travel industry has provided our local population with jobs and opportunities to better our economy. Beginning with King Kamehameha, who was the first travel industry entrepreneur to bring prosperity to the Hawaiian Islands by trading goods and services to foreign merchants, whalers and businessmen Hawaii became a convenient layover place for ships to replenish fresh foods and water.
Today Hawaii still plays an important role for world travelers seeking rest and recreation. If we want to continue our economic prosperity, we need to follow new foreign travel trends: Tourists are requesting longer stays in the islands and requesting authentic Hawaiian cultural activities. They want to be close to the land and meet the local people. They don’t want to be limited to amusement park-like tourist attractions.
Thus, the compelling question arises: Why limit the tourism-related income to large hotel chains and pseudo condominiums that are really hotels in disguise? Many of these condominiums are owned by persons that live outside of Hawaii who rent them as time share vacation rentals. Moreover, many hotel chains are owned by foreign investors residing outside of the Hawaii who hire our local population at low wages. The profits rebound to CEOs and corporate share holders--not the local residents.
Our governor, Linda Lingle, said she wants our local residents to seek higher paying and more meaningful jobs close to home. I would rather see smaller vacation rentals and bed and breakfast inns run by local residents who can share the Aloha spirit on a personal level with tourists. The money accrues into local residents who use it to pay for their homes and food for their families. Furthermore, this provides local families with additional income without them having to commutes to low-paying, menial jobs. This will help strengthens our families because they can stay home at work and the money made from the tourist dollars can be circulated directly back into our local economy.
We have enough hotels and condominiums encroaching on our pristine beaches and using our precious natural resources. What is wrong with sharing the goose that has laid the golden egg with our local community? Agriculture alone is not enough to support our economy. Other counties support vacation rentals because they not only bring in additional revenues into their economy but they do so without causing tourist over development impact upon our natural resources that already overburdened our infrastructure. Therefore, we should do the same. |
| 47 | Ed Horstman | Haiku | I believe you need to cease shutting down vacation rental operators and spend your energy making it quick, easy and staightforward to get a permit. If you can't do this, then you should not just target unpermitted vacation rental, but ALL unpermitted businesses operating on Maui, and all of those "single family" homes down in Kahului that are filled with multiple kitchens and multiple families. |
| 48 | Ray Gattinella | Kula | Please make the permitting process fair and reasonable so the people can comply before putting them out of business! |
| 49 | Anonymous | Lahaina | |
| 50 | Anonymous | Lahaina | |
