Visitor paid parking program to start in 2023 | News, Sports, Jobs

July 09, 2024

Cars pack the Kamaole I Beach Park lot in April 2021. Maui County hopes to roll out a pilot program in early 2023, starting with the Kamaole beach parks and Ulua/Mokapu Beach Park, that will charge visitors for parking at county-owned facilities while allowing residents to park for free in hopes of addressing parking demand in popular areas. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

Maui County officials are working to address growing parking demands in heavily used areas, like parks and beaches, through a new pilot program that will start in South Maui next year.

Beginning with Ulua/Mokapu Beach Park and the Kamaole beach parks in early 2023, including the respective on-street parking, the program would require visitors to pay for spots at county-owned parking lots while reserving free spots for residents.

“Ulua will give us a location with majority non-residents utilizing the facility and Kamaole is a site that has a healthy mix of residents and non-residents during weekdays, with a higher percentage of local families on weekends and holidays,” Erin Wade of the Maui County Department of Management said last week. “The Kamaole Parks also include adjoining on-street parking primarily used by beach-goers, creating the opportunity to test out on-street parking management.”

When Mayor Michael Victorino signed Maui County’s record-setting $1.07 billion budget earlier this year, $3.8 million went toward the Park Maui Project to reduce congestion and improve parking access in areas that have become problematic for residents.

“Park Maui is one of the ways in which the County of Maui can help to restore balance between our community and our hospitality industry,” Victorino said in a news release Monday. “Our vision is to ensure residents have free access to shorelines, beaches and parks while non-residents pay to park in these places. The revenue generated by this program will fund operational expenses and may also be used to fund facility improvements, cultural preservation, environmental protection, and beach restoration efforts.”

Now that the County Council has funded Park Maui, Wade told The Maui News that the administration will be sending the requested code changes to the council, launching an informational website and hiring a parking operator to begin setting up the program, making facility upgrades and installing equipment at the pilot locations.

“The program is designed in such a way that it can be scaled up to bring in additional facilities or neighborhoods as needed,” Wade said.

After Park Maui is piloted at Ulua/Mokapu Beach Park and the Kamaole parks, Phase 2 of the program will focus on Lahaina and Wailuku towns.

The demographics and dynamics of these neighborhoods are quite different, Wade said, but both “struggle with parking congestion.”

“These two locations provide an opportunity to find solutions for district employees, improve turn-over in customer parking areas and ensure residents have access to places of worship, recreation and cultural reverence,” she added. “We hope to take the lessons learned from these four locations and apply them to facilities and neighborhoods in other areas of Maui Island.”

The county will evaluate the pilot projects and consider additional community feedback to further refine the program, according to the news release.

The results will be used to expand the program by 2024 or later to other beach parks as timing, funding and permitting allow.

Potential county-owned parking lots across the Valley Isle that may become Park Maui lots include, for example, Baldwin and Lower Paia Bay beach parks, Hana Beach Park, Kalama Beach Park, all parks accessing the Kamaole and Keawakapu beaches, Wailea Beach, Polo Beach, Pohaku Beach Park, D.T. Fleming and many more, according to the county-commissioned Parking Action Plan.

“Lahaina Town was found to be in dire need of a parking solution that will meet the varying needs of residents, visitors and businesses,” the report said.

For Wailuku town, the report said that it’s “likely facing a parking management issue rather than a lack of parking supply for its existing level of development.”

Possible solutions in these towns include charging nonresidents for parking while offering one to two hours of free resident parking, discounted resident parking and/or designated parking for area employees, according to the news release.

The action plan advised that the county implement various paid on- and off-street parking and time limits, including meters and pay stations, permit parking for residential/employee areas, a management program focused on particular needs in an area and better enforcement.

The implementation of paid parking and other infrastructure needs will be a lengthy process and requires budgeting, zoning, permits, Maui County code updates and community outreach.

The changes will also create opportunities to reinvest parking revenue for public parks, open space, cultural facilities and town improvements.

For example, if the county implements the recommended paid parking ideas paired with enforcement in Lahaina town, the county is projected to generate over $3.4 million in the first three years, according to the action plan.

The report estimates that in 10 years, the county will have a total parking revenue of $2.3 million, or $1.1 million after expenses, from on- and off-street hourly and permit parking in Wailuku town.

Julie Dixon, president of Dixon Resources Unlimited, has been contracted to help establish the framework of the program.

“Having assisted many other tourist destinations, we often hear about the feeling of being ‘squeezed out’ by visitors. Managing parking can go a long way towards regaining access to your own ‘local spots,’” Dixon said in the news release. “Parking should be easy, convenient and accessible for the local community, while allowing visitors into Maui’s special places on the residents’ terms.”

Kai Nishiki, shoreline and beach access advocate and a member of a focus group for the program, said that “making it easy for local families to enjoy our beaches and parks is the right priority and I look forward to getting this program started and expanding it throughout Maui so residents can feel welcome in their own backyards again.”

The Maui County Department of Transportation would be in charge of coordinating the Park Maui program, overseeing the day-to-day operations, contract management and data analysis.

Maui County residents can participate in two virtual meetings from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 24 to share their thoughts and suggestions about plans for Park Maui.

For more information or to provide feedback on the pilot program, visit parkmaui.com.

* Dakota Grossman can be reached at dgrossman@mauinews.com.

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

The Maui News Maui County Department of Finance Director Scott Teruya was placed on administrative leave on last ...

Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, formerly on Front Street in Lahaina Town and destroyed by the fire, announced the ...

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rq3UoqWer6NjsLC5jqecsKtfobykrctmpZ6vo2R%2FcX6RaGdxZ6aewKrAzqtkqZmZmXqxrdGkoKefXaW%2FsLPRmqRmrJ9iwLWt0a1koqZdZ31zf44%3D