DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARADVERTISER.COM
The Waikiki Banyan is seen at 201 Ohua Ave. in Waikiki.
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A site-specific, temporary stay of enforcement of the city’s short-term rental ordinance has some apartment owners at the Waikiki Banyan sighing with relief. But not everyone.
Lawyers for the Association of Apartment Owners of Waikiki Banyan have signed a court order stipulating that the owners will seek an administrative solution to the city’s finding that their vacation rentals are operating illegally. The condo tower is outside the defined Waikiki resort area where a special permit is not required.
That solution may be elusive, though. The people who lawfully have been using the apartments as long-term residences may see any broad allowance for vacation rentals as an outcome sure to drive up property taxes for the building.
And there are many in the Banyan who do have vacation-rental permits, acquired before the city stopped issuing them in 1989. Some have paid annual renewal fees for decades, as the tower was built in 1979, and for some, this has amounted to thousands paid. They might feel put out, too. Assuming protracted negotiations, the unpermitted rentals may be able to carry on, free, for some time longer.
Finally: Owners in the myriad condos that are similarly on the fringes of Waikiki’s resort area may be wondering, “What makes the Waikiki Banyan so special?” Approving the arrangement could set a precedent.
Some Waikiki Banyan owners have said they were stunned to learn their rentals were illegal. But the city lists 186 units having permits there. Perhaps they should have known.
