MAALAEA – The state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation on Monday implemented a new parking plan in the Maalaea Small Boat Harbor.

DOBOR selected Diamond Parking to manage the entire parking area at Maalaea. The facility will have 208 regular parking stalls, seven or eight boat trailer parking stalls and four ADA-compliant handicap parking stalls available for users. The final count on the available stalls is pending finalization of the configuration plan.

Approval for DOBOR to issue a month-to-month revocable permit for up to a year to a parking vendor was given by the Board of Land and Natural Resources at the board’s meeting on April 24, 2015. Discussion about the parking plan has been circulating in the media since 2013.

As the vendor, Diamond Parking will install parking meters, collect fees ($0.50 per hour, $12 per 24-hour period) for all parking stalls in the harbor, pay for necessary infrastructure upgrades related to vehicle parking (signage, etc.) and pay a flat fee or a percentage of gross receipts to DOBOR for deposit into the Boating Special Fund that will be used to improve harbor facilities.

This parking concession is similar to the parking concession at the Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, Oahu. Since its inception, the average monthly parking revenues generated at the Ala Wai facility totals $62,500, which is used to support operating costs statewide. Another benefit of the parking concession is security at the facility during times when the harbor office is closed, the state noted.

The Maalaea Small Boat Harbor has undergone substantial improvements that include a new ferry building with attached DOBOR district office and new piers, loading docks and parking areas. The total cost of the new improvements was approximately $15 million.

The repair and maintenance of the harbor is paid for through the Boating Special Fund, which consists of user fees generated from mooring fees, commercial vessel operations, and revenues from fast land leases. DOBOR does not receive any general fund money to help cover operating expenses.

Since those with use permits issued by DOBOR are not the only people using the facility – for example, surfers, fishermen and neighboring commercial businesses – DOBOR is seeking ways to make the generation of operating revenues more equitable for all user groups.

DOBOR has held several public meetings over the course of a year with harbor permittees and members of the general public to discuss the implementation of a parking plan.

Since the proposed parking area is new and may need to be amended based on general operations, DOBOR has issued a revocable permit on a month-to-month basis for up to one year in order to gather information, which will be used to draft a concession agreement that will be later be placed out to bid.