HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-07-13 Adam Atwood TestimonyFrom: Adam Atwood
To: Planning LPC Testimony
Subject: Written Testimony Bill 147 PL-CCI-2026-000016
Date: Monday, July 13, 2026 9:16:09 PM
Attachments: Adam_Atwood_Bill_147_Testimony_FINAL_NO_ARTIFACTS.pdf
Aloha, Adam Atwood
July 13, 2026
Leeward Planning Commission
County of Hawaii Planning Department
West Hawaii Civic Center
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740
Re: Bill 147 - Owner-Occupied Hosted Transient Accommodations
Aloha Chair and Members of the Leeward Planning Commission:
My name is Adam Atwood, and I am a longtime Hawaii resident and homeowner in Kailua-Kona. I am
writing regarding Bill 147 and, specifically, the future of small, responsibly managed vacation rental units
located within an owner-occupied home.
I support reasonable regulation, proper oversight, and meaningful enforcement of the short-term
vacation rental industry in Hawaii County.
I understand the concerns regarding unregulated vacation rentals, absentee operators, excessive noise,
parking problems, and properties that negatively affect residential neighborhoods. Responsible vacation
rental operators should be required to follow clear rules, maintain proper registrations, pay applicable taxes
and fees, provide adequate parking, and be held accountable for the way their properties are managed.
My situation is very different from an absentee-owned vacation rental investment.
I have worked in Hawaii for approximately 36 years. I have built my career here, paid taxes here, invested in
my home and community, and planned for my eventual retirement here in Hawaii.
For approximately ten years, I have responsibly operated a small vacation rental within my own
home. In those ten years, I have never received a neighborhood complaint regarding my vacation
rental operation.
I have ample off-street parking. I live at the property. I personally oversee the operation and am available to
immediately address any concern involving guests, parking, noise, or the condition of my property. I have
the space, infrastructure, and management experience necessary to operate a responsible, well-maintained
vacation rental.
My retirement plan has been to continue living in my home as my principal residence while operating
two small vacation rental units located within that same home.
These are not detached investment houses. I am not seeking to purchase multiple residential properties and
convert them into commercial vacation rentals. I am not asking to operate an absentee vacation rental
business.
I am asking to be allowed to live in my own home and responsibly operate two small vacation rental units
within that home.
The distinction between one unit and two units is extremely important to me.
After approximately 36 years of working in Hawaii, I have been planning for the day when I can transition
into retirement and remain here. The cost of living in Hawaii is extraordinarily high. Property taxes,
insurance, utilities, food, transportation, and home maintenance continue to increase. For many longtime
working residents, living solely on a fixed retirement income is increasingly difficult.
For me, the supplemental income from two small, owner-hosted vacation rental units within my home
is an essential part of making my retirement in Hawaii financially sustainable.
This has been my plan. I have invested in my home and worked toward this goal with the understanding that
there was an honest and legal path to operating a responsible hosted accommodation at my primary
residence.
I fully support the County establishing strong safeguards for owner-hosted vacation rentals. Require proof of
principal residency. Require registration. Require tax compliance. Require adequate off-street parking.
Establish occupancy limits and safety requirements. Enforce noise standards. Impose meaningful
consequences on operators who falsely claim hosted status or who repeatedly create problems for their
neighbors.
I am willing to comply with those requirements.
My ten-year operating history demonstrates that a vacation rental can be professionally managed, respectful
of its neighbors, and compatible with a residential community.
I respectfully ask the Commission to preserve a clear legal pathway for a bona fide resident homeowner to
operate up to two small hosted transient vacation rental units within the home that the owner actually
occupies as his or her principal residence.
For me, this is not simply about operating a vacation rental business.
It is about whether, after 36 years of working and building a life in Hawaii, I can afford to remain here and
fulfill my retirement dream.
I respectfully ask that Bill 147 recognize the difference between absentee commercial vacation rental
operations and longtime residents who live in their homes, responsibly host their guests, comply with
reasonable regulations, and use modest rental income to make remaining in Hawaii financially possible.
Mahalo for your time, your service, and your consideration of my testimony.
Respectfully,
Adam Atwood
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii