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Council adopts agricultural-tourism zoning changes and moves to update parking rules
Summary
Maui County passed amendments to the comprehensive zoning code to allow agricultural tourism activities on working farms, with public testimony urging clearer enforcement discretion. The council also approved referring a parking ordinance update to the planning commission to align with other recovery-related housing bills.
The Maui County Council passed a revised agricultural tourism ordinance (Bill 75 CD1 FD1 as substituted) that enables agricultural-tourism as an accessory use on working farms, with clarifying edits included by the council. Proponents including Sydney Smith (chair of the Ag Working Group) and Pamela Tompap testified in support while urging balanced enforcement standards to avoid overly harsh penalties for minor or inadvertent infractions.
Pamela Tompap recommended adding director discretion to avoid “permanent suspension after three violations” regardless of context. She suggested language that would allow the planning director to consider severity and context before imposing a lengthy suspension for operators who otherwise seek to comply. Councilmembers and department staff noted that the planning department’s enforcement process typically starts with warnings and aims to bring operators into compliance before pursuing formal violations.
Separately, the Office of Recovery requested that the parking-ordinance update (Resolution 25-152) be referred directly to the planning department and planning commission so that parking changes can be reconciled with other recovery-era bills that address density and kitchenette/dwelling issues. Jordan Hart of the Office of Recovery told the council the department has a draft parking ordinance intended to accompany kitchenette and density bills and requested direct referral to expedite coordinated review.
Council action included substitution of an FD1 (and subsequent FD2 in the legislative packet) and passed the agricultural-tourism ordinance on second and final reading; the parking ordinance update was approved for referral as requested. Speakers asked the council to preserve farmers’ ability to earn supplemental income while protecting indigenous cultural practices and preventing misappropriation; the agricultural industry groups said they will continue to work with the Department of Environmental Resources for cultural guidance and training referrals.
