Vacation rental legislation moving forward

February 27, 2011 – By ILIMA LOOMIS, Staff Writer
Article from: The Maui News

WAILUKU – Vacation rentals would be limited to no more than two units per lot, and the county would set a cap on the number of rentals allowed in each district, under proposed regulations being discussed Monday by the Maui County Council Planning Committee.

The long-awaited legislation comes more than two years after the council adopted similar rules for bed-and-breakfast operations.

In addition to regulating them, the proposed legislation would also create a clear process for the county to approve short-term rental permits.

The committee will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday in eighth-floor Council Chambers to consider sending the draft legislation to the Maui, Molokai and Lanai planning commissions for comment.

“At any (vacation) destination, there has always been a need for short-term rentals, as well as B&Bs,” said Planning Chairman Don Couch.

“We want to make it so it works both for residential areas as well as for the visitor industry.”

Some provisions of the draft include limiting the number of bedrooms that could be used as vacation rentals to six per home on Maui and Lanai, and three per home on Molokai. It would also require off-street parking for all guests, set “quiet hours” from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., and require rentals to be marked with small signs.

While bed-and-breakfast operations have the owner living on-site, vacation rentals do not.

One rule in the proposal would require that owners who do not live in the county full time designate an on-site caretaker or an off-site manager.

County Council Member Gladys Baisa said she was “very excited” the legislation was finally moving forward.

Baisa oversaw the council’s passage of B&B regulations three years ago, and helped draft the short-term rental legislation. She called the draft “a good beginning point.”

She acknowledged that there remains more public concern about vacation rentals, because of the lack of an on-site caretaker or owner.

“We’re aware that short-term rental legislation is going to be more challenging,” she said. “But it’s something we must deal with.”

County Planning Director Will Spence said he was still reviewing the proposal, but said he did believe that there was a place for vacation rentals in Maui’s economy.

“That’s with the caveat that there should be some kind of review,” he said.

Isles’ unemployment rate dipped to 6.6% last year

Hawaii ranks seventh lowest in the country; 6 percent joblessness forecast for this year

By Star-Advertiser staff
Article from: Star-Advertiser

Hawaii’s unemployment rate fell slightly in 2010 to 6.6 percent, the seventh lowest rate in the country.

Last year’s rate was down from 6.8 percent in 2009, but up from 4.1 percent in 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday.

Hawaii’s job market should continue to strengthen this year, knocking the rate down to 6 percent, according to the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization. The UHERO forecast released earlier this month calls for the rate to drop further to 5.3 percent in 2012 and 3.8 percent in 2013.

Hawaii’s rising unemployment rate from 2007 through 2010 was the result of the recession and a weak recovery that was not robust enough to “generate satisfactory job creation,” UHERO economists wrote in a report.

The economists said they expect the labor market to pick up, in part, because of the jobs that will be generated by the city’s rail project.

“The feeble job gains of the past year do not portend continuing labor market stagnation. Instead, more broadly based improvement will be seen in 2011 and 2012 as the Hawaii recovery strengthens and Oahu rail transit construction gets under way,” they wrote in the report.

The bureau report included revisions to the monthly unemployment data for 2010. Hawaii’s rate was higher in five months and lower in three months than originally reported. It was unrevised in four months.

One of the downward changes was for December, in which the bureau revised the rate to 6.3 percent from the 6.4 percent reported last month.

THE LOWDOWN
10 lowest unemployment rates in 2010

1. North Dakota 3.9%
2. Nebraska 4.7%
3. South Dakota 4.8%
4. Iowa 6.1%
5. New Hampshire 6.1%
6. Vermont 6.2%
7. Hawaii 6.6%
8. Virginia 6.9%
9. Kansas 7.0%
10. Wyoming 7.0%
U.S. average 9.6%

Kihei and Lahaina among top vacation rental spots

By Erika Engle
Article from: Star-Advertiser

Renowned travel site TripAdvisor has named Kihei and Lahaina, Maui, to its Top Vacation Rental Hot Spot list for 2011.

The list is based on search data and input from site editors.

“Vacation rentals can offer families and groups of travelers significant savings over other accommodation options,” said Hank Hudepohl, director of vacation rentals, in a statement. “Our list shows off some of the best vacation rental destinations in the U.S. where travelers can save big, ranging from prime summer beach spots to areas with first-rate ski resorts.”

Kihei was ranked No. 4, behind Kissimmee, Fla., Big Bear Lake, Calif., and Gatlinburg, Tenn. Destin, Fla., Palm Springs, Calif., and Outer Banks, N.C., ranked fifth, sixth and seventh, followed by No. 8 Lahaina. Hilton Head, S.C., and Cape Cod, Mass., fill out the top 10.

The list cites the number of vacation rentals TripAdvisor lists in each destination as well as the potential savings a family could realize for a weeklong trip.

Despite the high profile of a particular annual vacation rental guest, Kailua, Oahu, is not among TripAdvisor’s top 10. Its site lists only 94 vacation rentals in Kailua and 19 in neighboring Lanikai.

Visitor arrivals up 12% in January, spending up 20%

By Allison Schaefers
Article from: Star-Advertiser

Hawaii achieved its eleventh consecutive month of increased visitor spending and arrivals in January, according to preliminary statistics released today by the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

A high-single digit increase from the U.S. East and double-digit arrivals growth from the U.S. West, Japan, Canada and cruise ships helped boost visitor arrivals last month to 597,487, up 12.2 percent from a year ago. Likewise, visitor spending rose to $1.2 billion, a 19.8 percent gain from the prior year. January’s gain represented the 9th consecutive month of double-digit increases in overall spending.

The return of the Pro Bowl coupled with a slight pickup in meetings, convention and incentive traffic were behind the industry rebound, said Mike McCartney, HTA’s president and CEO. Stronger airplane passenger loads and increased flights also contributed, McCartney said.

“We look forward to taking advantage of rebounds in this market, as well as continued growth and interest in Hawaii as a global meetings destination as we draw closer to hosting the 2011 APEC Leaders Summit in November,” he said.

Heavy traffic from Elton John concert anticipated

Article from: The Maui News
February 23, 2011

KAHULUI – The Elton John concert is expected to generate heavy traffic Thursday and Friday when concert-goers converge on the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

Gates to the concert area will open at 6 p.m. Thursday and 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Reserved parking passes for the center’s lot have been sold for $25 each. If extra spaces are available, those will be sold for $25 cash, according to the center.

Parking in the main lot at the University of Hawaii Maui College also has been pre-sold for $15. Parking also will be available on the day of the show for $15 cash at the college’s drive-in field parking lot off Wahinepio Avenue and at Keopuolani Park, which will be closed to the public.

Parking lots will be open at 3 p.m., and spaces will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.