Under the current tentative schedule, in October, November and December 2023, pay station equipment would be installed in pilot locations, and the PARK MAUI Mobile App would go live. PHOTO COURTESY OF PARK MAUI.

LAHAINA — The County of Maui may be ready to launch PARK MAUI in Lahaina Town in the fourth quarter of 2023, county staff explained during a Virtual Open House last week Monday.

PARK MAUI strives to implement data-driven solutions for parking at beach parks, in business districts and on streets throughout our island’s most heavily utilized areas.

The program’s pilot parking locations are Lahaina Town, Ulua/Mokapu Beach Park and the Kamaole Beach Parks in South Maui, and Wailuku Town.

The Maui County Council is expected to begin the review process for PARK MAUI soon.

Erin Wade of the county Department of Management explained, “First we are going to County Council with the code changes specific to Wailuku Town, and this is so we can get the parking structure itself opened and managed appropriately, and then we will be coming back with beach park and Lahaina Town code changes sometime after September.”

Julie Dixon, president of Dixon Resources Unlimited of San Diego, California, and a parking consultant for the County of Maui since 2014, led the presentation.

The program’s goals for Lahaina Town are to improve parking access and availability to enhance the overall parking experience; encourage turnover and long-term parking in off-street lots to ensure a smoother and more convenient parking experience for all; and to generate revenue to maintain parking operations, educate visitors and offer public transit alternatives.

According to Dixon, switching to paid parking will allow real-time monitoring of parking congestion, as well as create more turnover and parking availability.

The proposed Lahaina Town Parking Management Zone includes Front Street from Shaw to Papalaua streets; Canal, Wharf and Hotel streets surrounding Banyan Tree Park; the alley on the north side of Lahaina Public Library; Dickenson Street, Lahainaluna Road and Papalaua Street between Front and Wainee streets; and the Prison Street and Luakini Street parking lots.

For Hawaii residents, the proposed rates are $4 an hour for on-street parking (three-hour time limit per day), and three hours free in the Prison Street Parking Lot ($2.50 for each additional hour). Fees would apply daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“One of the things that we found through some of the stakeholder engagement several years ago, pre-pandemic, was that a lot of our locals and residents basically shared that they actually don’t go to Lahaina because of the fact that it is so impacted and congested, and in fact when they do go, that they would just park in one of the private parking lots… when they have guests in town,” Dixon said.

“And that was something that we really wanted to change, that overall parking experience for our locals, just to make sure that they can still take advantage of our community amenities.”

For part-time and non-residents, the proposed fees are $4 an hour for on-street parking (three-hour time limit per day) and $2.50 an hour for off-street parking (maximum $30 per day) or purchase a weekly/monthly parking pass. Fees would apply daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For Lahaina employees, permit parking spaces would be available at the Prison Street and Luakini Street parking lots. Designated permit parking would be available for $30 per month, with a low-income rate option of $10 per month for those who qualify.

“So, as an employee parking permit holder, you would basically have your license plate registered, and you would be able to self-manage your license plate that’s assigned to the program… but if you were coming to park in Lahaina, and you parked in the Prison Street parking lot, you would either be able to leverage the mobile app, or you could walk up to a kiosk… and scan your Hawaii Driver’s License and basically be initiated for your free parking session,” Dixon said.

“It’s important to note that there are no credit cards required to initiate your parking session — all that you need is your driver’s license, and your opportunity to use your phone is just a convenience that once you set up your registration, you just touch a button to initiate your parking session.”

All rates and fees for the county are set by the County Council. The rates listed above are recommendations.

The county ran a request for proposal, and Diamond Parking was the selected vendor for PARK MAUI. It will be operating as an agent of the county, and the company will not have a financial benefit associated with revenues generated by the municipal parking program.

Dixon said the app for PARK MAUI was selected through another competitive procurement by the county. Lahaina News asked how parking will be monitored.

“We are going to be leveraging license plate recognition technology, so that the parking operator, Diamond, will be helping work with the county to monitor the time limits on-street,” Dixon explained.

“One of the things we’re anticipating is that we will have more consistent coverage of the streets to ensure that we will have that parking turnover. This is not intended to be a punitive program. We’re hoping to ensure compliance by providing consistent coverage,” she continued.

“There will be a substantial education and outreach component of the program, and that’s really going to be something that’s helped coordinated by Diamond, along with MPD (Maui Police Department), the Department of Transportation, the Department of Management — there are many, many hands in this project, and whatever we can do to help put the information out there is going to be important.”

For the latest information, visit https://www.parkmaui.com.

During the question and answer period, Heather Martin posted: “Paid parking for locals at $4 an hour will not encourage locals to come to town. And having paid parking on Front Street will cause even more congestion on Wainee, which is a pretty residential street.”

Dixon replied, “The opportunity of providing the free parking in the off-street locations is very specific to this program’s launch, and the opportunity of an on-street benefit is something that will be evaluated and considered as the program goes on moving forward. “But the opportunity to be able to understand that residents will be able to have that free parking experience in the Prison Street lot is a big part of this solution.”