An unprecedented proposal from Maui's mayor to phase out vacation rentals would alleviate a severe housing shortage aggravated by the 2023 wildfires but would also shrink the economy, University of Hawaii economists said in a report published Monday.
Mayor Richard Bissen introduced the policy idea last year to boost Maui's limited supply of long-term housing after the fires wiped out more than 3,000 housing units in Lahaina.
