HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0236.046 2024-2026 P/PGPLnED
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From: Kehena Mauka Nui
Sent: Saturday, May 3, 2025 2:43 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Bill 47—Disproportionate and Devastating Harm to Puna District Residents and
Economy
Michael Thomas
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12-7.232 Mauka Nui St. CD
Pahoa, HI 96778
May 3, 2025
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Honorable Members of the Hawaii County Council
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Subject: Bill 47—Disproportionate and Devastating Harm to Puna District Residents and Economy
Dear Honorable Council Members,
I am writing as a resident of the Puna district to express my profound opposition to Bill 47.While previous
concerns have been raised about the exclusion of potentially thousands of families island-wide from the
short-term rental(STR) market, I must highlight how this bill is poised to inflict disproportionately severe
damage specifically on the residents and the local economy of Puna, due to our unique circumstances.
Bill 47 appears to exclude families from STR participation through several mechanisms that are
particularly problematic for Puna.These include:
1) It is estimated from county records that two out of every five homes on the Big Island have unpermitted
improvements.This number is likely higher in the puna district.These families(already strained from low
tourism and high tariffs)will be unable to comply.
2) Many farmers in the district rely on a short term workforce and there are no provisions for farm stays.
These rules fail to recognize the reality on the ground in our district.
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Critically,the Puna district has virtually no traditional hotel or resort infrastructure. Unlike Kailua-
Kona, Kohala, or even Hilo,visitors seeking to stay in Puna rely almost exclusively on STRs hosted by
local residents.These visitors support our local shops,farmers' markets, restaurants, and activity
providers. Bill 47, by potentially decimating the availability of legal STRs through its restrictive measures,
threatens to effectively shut down visitor accommodations in our large geographic area, crippling a vital
part of our local economy and harming countless small businesses that depend on visitor traffic
facilitated by STRs.
Furthermore,the anticipated requirement within Bill 47 mandating that properties hosting STRs be
fully permitted poses an existential threat to many Puna homeowners'ability to participate. It is a
well-documented reality that a significant concentration of homes in Puna includes structures,
additions, or entire dwellings built over decades, sometimes under previous code versions, sometimes
'as-is,' or without the final permits required by current standards.While safety and code compliance are
important, using strict, potentially retroactive permitting status as a primary qualifier for STR eligibility
under Bill 47 seems designed to disqualify a vast number of Puna properties.This unfairly penalizes
homeowners for historical circumstances often inherited or difficult and costly to rectify, effectively
barring them from supplemental income essential for survival in our district. It ignores the practical
realities and history of housing development in Puna.
In summary, Bill 47,through its specific exclusionary mechanisms combined with Puna's unique lack of
hotels and prevalence of non-conforming structures,will:
1. Cause severe financial hardship for Puna families relying on STR income.
2. Disproportionately damage Puna's local economy by eliminating most visitor lodging.
3. Unfairly penalize homeowners due to historical permitting issues common in our district.
This bill does not represent fair or balanced regulation for Puna; it represents an economic catastrophe
for many of my neighbors and an unrealistic approach to our district's specific needs and
characteristics.
I strongly urge you to recognize the unique and disproportionate harm Bill 47 will inflict on the Puna
district. Please vote against this bill in its current form.Any regulation of STRs must genuinely consider
the lack of traditional lodging in Puna and address the issue of non-permitted structures with pathways
to compliance or reasonable accommodation, rather than outright disqualification that devastates local
families.
We are still recovering from the eruption and we do not need a new, man-made disaster to contend with.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these critical issues specific to the Puna community.
Sincerely,
Michael Thomas
Puna District Resident
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