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Bill 121 at the Windward Planning Commission

Date: April 4, 2024 @ 9:00 AM Location:   Hawai‘i County Council Chambers in Hilo   25 Aupuni Street   Hilo, HI 96720

It is important that everyone submit both written and in-person testimony!

If you cannot be there in person, please register to testify via zoom.

Our testimony tool will help you to draft an email that draws from our list of requests.  It can help you write your testimony in less than one minute.  If you'd rather write your testimony yourself, please ask them to take action on two or more of the items in our list of requests and send it to: WPCtestimony@hawaiicounty.gov

Bill 121

On January 23, 2024, the Hawaii County Counsel, heard overwhelming opposition to 121--only 1 citizen (the former mayor) out of 150 spoke in favor.   Nevertheless, the Council voted 8-0 to move forward with the Bill that if passed will add significant new regulations on vacation rentals.  The Bill was sent to the Planning Commission for review and input.  Among other things these regulations will: 

• Completely ban whole home rentals between 30 and 180 days unless the renter is a nurse or other essential worker.
• Ban operations on agricultural land.  If you are zoned Ag you must shut down.
• Eliminate the Bed and Breakfast category of Hawaii County Code.
• Add significant first time and annual fees.
• Implements fines of up to $10,000 per night for minor violations like having a guest park in the wrong place.
• Significantly reduce the number of guests that many hosts can accommodate.
• Ban innovative alternative accommodations like tiny homes, tree houses, glamping, travel trailers, etc.
• Require you to tell the government what bedroom you sleep in.

In addition, the bill will put any host who cannot prove that every improvement to their property is fully permitted in the position of committing a crime by submitting a knowingly false affidavit or shutting down. Hosts will be forced to choose between committing a crime or retaining their livelihood.

The Ohana Aina Association is committed to protecting local families who depend on farm stays, home stays and vacation rental income to make ends meet every month.  If you own, operate or provide services for families who are hosting visitors, nurses, farm workers and others then we need you to take action now.

The next step in the process involves the windward and leeward planning commissions.  The first of these meetings is the windward planning commission meeting on April 4, 2024.

The meeting after that will take place at the leeward planning commission meeting on April 18, 2024.   We will keep you informed of developments after that.