The Kailua Neighborhood Board is protesting the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s decision to advertise the small town community as a tourist destination.
At its meeting of September 5, 2013, the Kailua Neighborhood Board overwhelmingly adopted a resolution asking the HTA to respect the zoning and quality of life of residential neighborhoods and stop promoting Kailua as an alternative to Waikiki.
The HTA on its web site tells potential visitors that “If you are planning a family vacation or you’re traveling with a large group to Oahu, a Kailua vacation rental can be the perfect solution.…the Kailua area offers a peaceful alternative to lively Waikiki.”
“The Board finds that this is directly contrary to the Honolulu City Council decision in 1989 to phase out short-term rentals in residential areas in order to give protection and relief to impacted communities. It contributes to the City’s problem of enforcement against illegal short-term rentals,” a statement from the Kailua Neighborhood Board said. “The HTA action adds to problems created by short-term rentals of escalating housing prices, and scarce rentals; and affects the safety, social, cultural and environmental character of residential neighborhoods.”
The controversy is just another example of ongoing tension in Kailua between merchants and vacation rental owners who want to attract more tourists, and many residents who want to keep Kailua a small community without large crowds and tourist buses.
Wow, Kailua must be an unfriendly town. When I go on vacation, I prefer to stay in places other than a hotel. I am a great neighbor! If you have a problem neighbor, that needs to be addressed, (either short term or long term), but to just say your side of the island is off limits, "Locals Only?" hey, this is a vacation destination, can't we find a way to get along?
Wow, I live on the West side in Makaha and our neighborhood is very friendly and welcomes tourists! Where is the aloha spirit in Kailua? They may live in a special place but it is not just for "locals". Perhaps they must never go on vacation to any area where so called "locals" live either!!!
After 24 years, I bet the HTA is sorry that they haven't reversed their decision Look at all the money the state is missing out on for not reinstating the licenses. I like to spend my time anywhere BUT Waikiki. And hotels don't allow cooking and an at-home atmosphere. And one more thing, those people in Kailua are a bunch of arrogant ones.
This is the classic "i got mine" mentality. The complainers are, to a large extent, the ones who move from the mainland, buy their little piece of paradise and then want to keep everyone else out. If they want to get away from visitors who appreciate beauty, they should move somewhere less scenic. Kailua was a vacation destination long before any of them lived there.
Oahu has changed A LOT since 1989, and that old zoning ordinance hasn't kept up with the times. The whole intent back then was to phase out Bed and Breakfast establishments and vacation rentals to please local NIMBY's, who wanted to preserve their slice of paradise for only themselves. Since then, the information age has arrived, the economy has adapted, and people have learned there is a beautiful place called Kailua that they want to visit. And homeowners in Kailua want to earn a living by accommodating these travelers.
People have property rights in the U.S., but in Kailua, SON and KIK want to deny these rights. I am told the members of these organizations have nothing better to do than patrol their streets, looking for rental cars so they can harass the tourists and homeowners. No aloha spirit whatsoever.
The United States Supreme Court have constantly upheld municipality zoning laws. The so-called property right argument that you should be able to do “whatever” you want with your property has been struck down numerous times in every court of the land. Saying everyone has right to operate a mini-hotel (vacation rental) is the same as saying everyone has the right to build a fifty-story condo on Kailua beach. Zoning laws serve an important purpose for the health, safety and the well-being of a community. Vacation rentals are non-conforming in all residential-zoned neighborhoods. That is the law. Vacation rentals are conforming in resort zoning. No one is being stopped from operating a vacation rental in resort zoning and everyone has the right to petition the City and County of Honolulu to rezone their property as resort.
What is wrong with these people! They think they own the island. Why should a small group of people dictate how this island should be run? Just because they want to be "exclusive" they want to tell everyone what to do. J
Dianne you are absolutely correct in your statement. I use to live in Kailua and at one time it was a really nice town. My mom helped to start Hawaii Vacation Rental Owner Association (HVROA) and on a daily basis she had to deal with the KIK and SON drama queens. The kicker to all this is that the Kailua NB are made up of both groups. When one person leaves, the spot is filled by someone who will agree with them no matter what. The town of Kailua doesn't have a chance to move forward because the KNB members are old, outdated and still live in the 1960's.
I applaud the Kailua Neighborhood Board for passing a resolution that requests the HTA to stop promoting Kailua’s “illegal” vacation rental industry in their marketing material and websites. As a state agency, they have fiduciary duty to uphold the law. They also have a moral and ethical responsibility to inform visitors on how to determine if a vacation rental is illegal and to advise them to not stay in these illegal lodging accommodations. Clearly, those who operate or benefit from these illegal businesses don’t want the visitors to be informed of the law.
The minority in Kailua who are against tourists need to understand that they live in a state where tourism is the #1 way our island supports itself, in a free country where people are allowed to roam where they wish ( isn't that WHY we live in America?). There are gated communities they can move to if they want to control who their neighbors are– that is one of the differences of a gated community. I live on another part of the island, and we desperately need the tourism economy to survive, and I urge our local politicians to remember that these Kailua protesters are a SMALL group and what they want should not be allowed to affect the legislation governing the entire island.
I agree with "Makaha Resident". This is a little off topic, but Makaha was originally designed and developed for resort zoning, timeshares, and vacationers, and the Kailua residents pushing their agenda have hurt our economy deeply since the 1980's. It's time for Kailua to think about the good of the island as a whole. Luckily, the council members, the HTA, and most other agencies and groups (for the most part), DO consider the island as a whole, and think about what's good for ALL of us.
I think its sad that Kailua is against tourism. I don't think it's all of them, but it sends a very bad message for the spirit of aloha. Let the travelers come. Allow people to rent to whom they wish. If your neighbors could afford to buy their house, same as you, they should be able to welcome whoever they want inside its doors. The beaches are for everyone; the streets are for everyone. ALOHA
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