Vendors on Ka'anapali Beach may need permit
| • | Maui park would limit kayak tours |
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
KIHEI, Maui — The state is working on a permit system designed to bring order to the proliferating number of ocean-activity vendors at Ka'anapali Beach.
Peter T. Young, chairman of the State Department of Land and Natural Resources, said yesterday that the permits will limit where vendors set up, when they are allowed on the beach and will address liability issues.
Young, who discussed the proposal with Ka'anapali hotel officials yesterday morning, said he hopes the permit system will be a model for beaches statewide.
"It's not just about the guys renting kayaks. It's also about the hotels putting cabanas on the beach," he said.
The growing number of beach operators selling kayaks, surfboards and snorkeling gear have been a source of conflict for condominium owners and hotel operators on a stretch of sand recently named the best in America.
The Ka'anapali Beach Resort Association filed suit two years ago in an unsuccessful attempt to clear out vendors, and three condominium owners filed suit in May, hoping to move out an operation camped out on the beach in front of The Whaler, a retail and residential complex.
The new permits, authorized by recent state Board of Land and Natural Resources regulations and approved by Gov. Linda Lingle, acknowledge that the beach is for public use first, Young said.
But they are not designed to put anyone out of business, he said. Rather, they are intended to restore order. For example, vendors will not be allowed to sell their equipment in multiple locations as they do now. They will also be barred from storing their equipment on the beach.
Young said there will be restrictions on hotel vendors as well: Expect fewer unused cabanas on the beach, for example.
The permit system will also increase safety on the beach by requiring proof of liability insurance and workers with CPR and lifeguard training, he said.
Young said he expects to meet with beach vendors and other interested parties before the permit system is approved by the land board. He said approval could come as soon as August.
