Maui County Forcing Property Cleanup at Harbor Off Kahului Beach Road

Maui County officials are taking action to force cleanup of a highly visible parcel near Kahului Harbor that has grown repeatedly into homeless encampments.

County inspectors recently visited the parcel on Kahului Beach Road, between the former Y. Hata location at 200 Waiehu Beach Road and the harbor breakwater, and deemed the property in violation of the Community Beautification chapter of the Maui County Code.

County officials have waited months while in discussions with the land owner to clear the property of derelict vehicles, tents, waste, trash, and other debris, to no avail. Lack of progress forced Mayor Michael Victorino’s administration to order a deadline of the end of this month to bring the property into compliance.

Failure to do so will result in the county performing the clean-up work, and then billing the property owner for reimbursement of costs. Failure to pay that bill within 30 days would force the county to file a lien on the land.

“Over time, this parcel has deteriorated to the point where the County was forced to intervene,” Victorino said. “Taxpayers should know that the cost of clean-up will be billed to the landowner.”

Encampment on the water at Kahului Harbor on Tuesday, as visible from Kahului Beach Road looking north.

The strip of dirt covered with loose gravel has been a bone of contention for the county for several years. In 2019, the State of Hawaii cleaned out a large homeless encampment there, along with the entire Harbor area.

Last summer, following CDC guidance for the safety of homeless individuals, Maui County again cleaned the parcel and surrounding areas, and set safety barriers to prevent entry. The landowner allowed the barriers to be moved, according to the county, and sanitary conditions declined.

Lacking progress after recent talks with the owner, county officials determined the property violates Chapter 9.32 of the Maui County Code, a section outlining community beautification standards. Thousands of vehicles on Kahului Beach Road each day roll past the property, which is a highly visible location as motorists access Paukukalo and Waihee-Waiehu to the north.