The Maui County Council’s Water and Infrastructure Committee on Monday hit pause on a proposed overnight parking ban in Kahului while also wrestling with a sweeping rewrite of how the county charges for water-system upgrades. Council members said the two hot-button items underscored a familiar Maui tension: trying to protect health and safety in industrial zones while figuring out who pays to extend pipes and build storage for new growth.
Filed as Bill 49, the ordinance would prohibit overnight parking from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Lehuakona, Ala Makani and Ohekani streets in an industrial triangle near Dairy Road, by changing language in the county traffic code. The bill’s text and the exact road segments that would be affected are posted on Maui County Legistar.
The proposal drew steady testimony from business owners describing years of sanitation issues and from advocates warning the measure would push people living in vehicles out of the area without providing safe alternatives. As reported by Maui Now, testifiers including Share Your Mana founder Lisa Darcy and Faith Chase urged the committee to put the brakes on Bill 49 until structured safe‑parking and wraparound services are in place. The panel agreed to defer action and asked the Department of Public Works, Maui Police Department and Department of Human Concerns to appear at the next discussion.
The debate unfolded as the Bridging The Gap Point‑in‑Time survey showed Maui’s unsheltered population jumping roughly 40%, sharpening friction among residents, service providers and nearby businesses. According to the overview of the one‑day canvass, the unsheltered count climbed from 285 to 398 people, increasing pressure on any pilot safe‑parking effort and existing shelter capacity. Bridging The Gap reported those figures in its 2026 PIT materials.
Water system development fees
The committee also took up Bill 76, a code amendment that would overhaul how the Department of Water Supply calculates development fees by shifting from a meter‑size formula to a system based on average daily demand, measured in equivalent single dwelling units (ESDs). The ordinance language and code changes are laid out on Maui County Legistar, which describes the shift as a modernization meant to better align fees with actual water use.
County implementation materials say one ESD represents about 300 gallons of water per day and that ESDs will be used both to size meters and to estimate demand for permitting. A Department of Water Supply overview circulated through county channels explains the ESD methodology and the standard meter‑capacity tables that will guide future permits and fee calculations. The department’s explanation of the change is summarized on Maui Nui Strong.
What comes next
Without objection, the committee deferred Bill 49 to allow more time to hear from administration officials and to line up any enforcement with emerging safe‑parking plans. Bill 76 has already cleared an initial procedural hurdle and, according to accounts of the committee meeting, is expected to return to the council for further readings in early June. Council staff have said fee calculations under the new code would be appealable to the Board of Water Supply. As both measures move forward, council members signaled they want clearer administration plans for safe parking and sanitation before limiting vehicle residency, while also weighing how the fee revamp will land on housing projects and other large‑scale water users.
