A Maui Planning Commission meeting regarding the future of thousands of short-term rentals was suddenly canceled this week.
Maui Planning Director Kate Blystone said the cancellation was caused by circumstances beyond the commission's control.
The meeting was rescheduled to July 23 at 9 a.m.
Commissioners were set to hear more public testimony after running out of time at last month’s meeting when hundreds lined up to speak.
Those who wanted to testify included people who were for or against a bill that would convert over 7,000 short-term vacation rentals on Maui into long-term housing for locals.
The units are in apartment-zoned districts built before 1989, also known as the Minatoya List.
Under the mayor’s initiative, short-term rental use in apartment-zoned districts would be repealed starting July 1, 2025, for West Maui, and Jan. 1, 2026, for the rest of the county.
The proposal is a response to the 2023 Maui wildfire disaster and the housing shortage for displaced survivors.
The measure will also be heard by the Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi planning commissions.
