Hawaii County weighs ban on new private paid parking lots

The Council’s planning committee voted 6-3 on May 4 to send Bill 154 into review, moving Hawaii County closer to banning new privately run paid parking lots in Hilo, Kona and other commercial districts. The measure would stop new commercial parking lots and garages from being opened in general commercial, village commercial, industrial-commercial mixed, limited industrial, general industrial and Downtown Hilo Commercial District zoning.

The bill would not force existing operators out. Private paid parking facilities already lawfully in place would be grandfathered in as lawful nonconforming uses, so current lots could keep operating even if the county bars new ones. For downtown drivers, that means the supply of pay-to-park spaces would not disappear overnight, but future private lots in places like Kailua-Kona and Hilo would be much harder to build.

Bill 154 would bar new commercial parking lots and garages in those zoning districts. The measure would encourage more efficient use of scarce land, reduce automobile dependence, limit large paved surfaces and help cut stormwater runoff and the urban heat island effect. The Planning Department also suggested two exceptions: keeping commercial parking lots permitted in the Downtown Hilo Commercial District and allowing them in the Resort-Hotel District with a use permit.

Supporters see the measure as a way to keep downtown parcels available for housing, shops and other higher-value uses instead of asphalt fields that charge drivers by the hour or day. Critics, including some business leaders, see a threat to practical access for customers and workers who already circle for parking in busy blocks. If new private lots are barred, the pressure does not vanish. It is more likely to shift onto existing lots, public parking and nearby streets already used by merchants, employees and visitors.

Council Chair Holeka Inaba and Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas co-introduced Bill 154 after discussions about paid parking and predatory pricing. Bill 132, aimed at capping fees in Kailua Village, stalled after repeated postponements over legal concerns. The council also advanced Bill 162 on June 17 by an 8-0 vote, a narrower measure that would require clearer signage, rate schedules, fee notices, hours of operation and towing information at paid parking facilities.