Committee backs ordinance to adopt Park Maui paid-parking maps for South Maui beaches and Wailuku

Aug. 4, 2025 — The Maui County Water and Infrastructure Committee voted unanimously to recommend first reading of a bill to adopt official paid-parking maps for South Maui beaches and to update paid- and permit-parking zones in Wailuku.

The committee, chaired by Tom Cook, moved the bill as a substitute incorporating maps and technical edits (the proposed CD1 version of Bill 79-20-25) and approved a further amendment resolving a fee conflict; the votes were recorded as 7 ayes, 0 nos, with two members excused. The item now advances to the full County Council for consideration.

The ordinance would incorporate into county code the digital Park Maui maps identifying paid and permit parking zones and clarify the director of transportation's authority to administer chapters 10.77 and 10.78 of the Maui County Code. It also creates a resident benefit for selected South Maui sites and establishes pilot hours and rates for the sites included in phase 1.

Neil Nakamoto, program manager for Park Maui with the Maui County Department of Transportation, described Park Maui as "basically Maui County's parking management program, with data driven solutions for our valued resources" and gave details on the pilot. Phase 1 would focus on Kamaole 1, 2 and 3 in Kihei; phase 2 could later include Kalama Park, Ulua Beach, Wailea Beach, Polo Beach and Keawakapu 1 if phase 1 data and operations support expansion.

Under the bill as presented and discussed at the hearing, Kamaole 1, 2 and 3 would offer a resident beach benefit: Hawaii residents with a valid Hawaii driver’s license (HDL) could park for free at those select locations and would have priority before 10 a.m. on weekends and county holidays. Nonresidents would be allowed to park at those beaches on weekends and county holidays starting after 10 a.m. The daily flat nonresident beach rate discussed in the presentation was $10, with paid hours generally described as 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends and county holidays.

Nakamoto said Park Maui will support both an app and on-site kiosks: "You can have your app and prescan your driver's license," he said, or visitors can scan a driver's license at a kiosk if they do not want to bring a phone onto the beach. He also described on-site "parking ambassadors" who will provide education and help with compliance and said the department expects to roll out the pilot in early 2026 after completing permitting and beta testing of the Park Maui app.

Public commenters raised concerns about accessibility and complexity. A representative of Royal House of Hawaii asked whether descendants of certain land patentees had been contacted. Resident testifier Yohan Lowell said he was "kind of scared when I saw paid parking in Kihei on the agenda" and warned that the app requirement could create barriers for kupuna and people without smartphones.

Committee members probed operational issues including signage and wayfinding, enforcement and ambassador staffing levels, kiosk placement, ADA accessibility, how reserved stalls and two-hour time limits would be enforced in Wailuku, and whether the program would connect with bus service. Department staff said some sites will require engineering-stamped plans for permitting, and that ADA and flood-zone requirements have added unanticipated costs and design questions for kiosks.

Members also asked about financials. Nakamoto and Director Mark Takamori said the department expects Park Maui to approach cost neutrality as it expands, but that, absent revenue from areas such as Lahaina and without broader expansion, the pilot could cost more than it generates initially. Department staff committed to providing more detailed revenue and cost estimates in writing to the committee.

The committee adopted a technical amendment noted in the Amendment Summary Form that resolves an inconsistency between a county-code maximum session fee and the FY2026 rates and fees for a monthly parking pass; the amendment removes the conflict. After the amendments and substitute were adopted, the committee voted to recommend passage of the CD1 version of Bill 79-20-25 on first reading and to file Resolution 25-1-130, which is no longer needed because the maps were incorporated into the ordinance.

The item will be scheduled for full council consideration; department staff said they plan to return with phase-1 lessons before any phase-2 expansion.