HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0739.307 2016-2018 P1Pc
Comm.
COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAII
18 June 2018
71118 AN 18 PH I: 52
Planning Committee
Hawaii County Council
Re: Bill 108 Draft 3related to short-term vacation rentals
Dear Chair Eoff,Vice-Chair O'Hara,and committee members
My name is Kevin Hopkins,and together with my wife,Margarita,we provide short-term vacation rentals through
Airbnb at two of our family-owned properties. Further,we were developing a third property in Kapoho. Airbnb
provides us a means to cover the mortgages,maintain the houses for our relatives return from the mainland,and
pay our ever-increasing property tax bills.
I testified on the earlier draft of the bill back in April. Some of the problems with the earlier drafts have been
remedied but there are still some issues which I would like to address:
1. I am pleased to see that all short-term vacation rentals will be required to register so that the County has
better information about this industry and how important it is to our economy. Further,the conditions
are reasonable although,in many cases,already covered by other ordinances;
2. The registration fee is discriminatory as it does not apply to all short-term vacation rental. A person
owning multiple units on 100 acres in Hamakua is exempt the registration fee as long as he lives in one of
the units and they are on the same TMK. But an owner of two adjacent 7500 ft2 lots in Nanawale will
have to pay$500/year if one of the lots is used for a vacation rental. Once again,the County subsidizes
the millionaires.
3. Why are only vacation rentals subject to an annual registration fee for non-conforming uses. What about
all of the other non-conforming uses.
4. The fee does not reflect the differences between the occasional rental of a 1 bedroom cottage and the
almost continuous rentals of a mansion.
5. And what about the areas of the County that do not have resort zones? I see nothing about increasing
resort zones or allowing new vacation rentals in those areas. The County should be encouraging these
short-term rentals by residents instead of increasing the profits of off-shore corporations
Thank you for considering my concerns,
Kevin Hopkins
746 Hele Mauna St
Hilo, HI 96720
Comm. No. � ' 3p7
Ref.To: G
Ref. Datep� id 1 8 2018