LIHUE —The Kauai County Council approved a bill Wednesday that allows kitchens in guest houses. Bill No. 2754, introduced by Councilmembers Mason Chock and Arthur Brun, now heads to the mayor for his final review and decision.
“We don’t anticipate any concerns or objections,” said Ka‘aina Hull, Kauai County Planning Department director, who is in favor of the legislation.
Currently, a guest house, which is a separate unit away from the primary dwelling that is no more than 500 square feet and may not be used as a transient vacation rental or homestay operation, can’t contain kitchen amenities, such as stoves, refrigerators or sinks.
With this bill, ohana, or a lessee living under agreed-upon terms, can be legally privy to more privacy and no longer have to share kitchen facilities at the primary dwelling.
By allowing homeowners and landlords to have kitchens in their guest houses, some of the island’s long-term housing solutions can potentially be met, especially for kupuna or young adults who still live on their families’ properties.
That said, many, if not most, of these structures already contain illegal kitchens, Hull said. This bill could potentially free up the time and resources it has been taking county officials to regulate the matter, whereby residents would simply remove an item for inspection before re-installing.
Resident Elizabeth Kreitzer said she is a proponent of legalizing kitchens in guest houses. She also shared her support of increasing the square footage, an additional amendment that was previously discussed that would require further review by the Kauai county attorney and Planning Commission.
“Giving community members much-needed relief,” she said.
Hull said his department would have to look into this because adding more square footage could mean creating increased density on agricultural land where most guest houses are located.
Additionally, since the majority of guest houses were already constructed at some 500 square feet, increasing the size expands the residential capacity for guest houses on agricultural lands that exist away from “our urban cores,” said Hull.
This could “erode” Kauai’s rural character and at the same time create more expense for the county in order to service these areas, including roads and waterlines, as well as fire and police services, he said.
“The department has some concerns,” Hull said.
Another amendment to help meet housing needs that was discussed again during Wednesday’s council meeting was to define guest houses not only as separate units but also as attachments to main residences. Hull said the department is looking into this proposition and that it could be passed via an administrative rule.
One concern that was addressed on Wednesday was the regulation of guest houses operating as transient vacation rentals (TVRs) within visitor destination areas (VDAs), as they are ideally meant for residents.
“We support the philosophy … but it is tricky to enforce,” Hull said, and added that there aren’t many guest houses operating in VDAs to make it an issue at this time.
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Coco Zickos, county reporter, can be reached at 245-0424 or czickos@thegardenisland.com.
