Hawaiʻi Supreme Court: Farm dwellings in ag district cannot be used as STVRs

[kalakoa]

vacation rentals are much less work and more lucrative than producing a crop is

Try it this way: Leasing DHHL land to big-box retailers is much less work and more lucrative than providing housing for Hawaiians.
In both cases: obviously the best "economic" answer, but failing the intended purpose.

[randomq]

Isn't the tourism board promoting tourists that come and work the land, improving the environment? Seems like coming to stay at an agricultural property and malama aina would be a perfect fit!

Anyway, we know Supreme Court rulings and contested case rulings are not enforced here, so we can all still do what we want.

[MyManao]

Hawaiʻi Supreme Court justices on Tuesday unanimously held..

Great. It's a start. 

Methinks transient accommodations do not belong in residential communities regardless of zoning.. but hey if we can use ag zoning to get them out of our communities.. great.

Yeah yeah, I know, mine's an unpopular opinion. But I doubt I'm as much a minority as those who want to trash their communities with tourists for their own personal gain are.

Tourists don't belong in our communities.

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

But I doubt I'm as much a minority as those who want to trash their communities

There are a myriad of ways to trash our community. Unleashed dogs. Junk cars. More than one or two roosters. Domestic violence. Dropping out of school. Stealing instead of getting a job.

[jffields1969]

At least the residential communities are more likely to have the necessary infrastructure (water, sewers, electricity, roads) and nearby services to support transient accommodations than way out in the boonies.

[kalakoa]

"Infrastructure" is a specious argument, especially given the lack thereof in Hilo and other "residential" areas.

Example: most of Hilo isn't connected to the sewer system, still using cesspools and septic tanks -- and waste disposal is really the most important thing.