The battle over whether to allow more bed-and-breakfasts on O'ahu resumes this week.

The City Council, which has delayed action on the contentious issue for years, will take it up again at a committee meeting tomorrow.

The city has not allowed new bed-and-breakfast permits since 1989.

Since at least 2005, council members have been trying to find common ground between those who want to ban new B&Bs and those who feel they should be allowed with some restrictions.

The last time the council took up the issue was in January, when the Zoning Committee took testimony from 50 people and then deferred the matter.

Council member Rod Tam, who heads the Zoning Committee that will discuss the issue tomorrow, said the timing is good for the council to come to some kind of resolution.

"Initially there was a lot of emotionalism for and against bed and breakfasts," Tam said. Now people are more apt to try to reach solutions, he said.

In 2007, there were 60 licensed B&Bs and 942 licensed vacation rentals on O'ahu. A 2005 state study based on Internet searches found a total of more than 1,900 units — legal or illegal — on the island.

Save O'ahu's Neighborhoods represents about 50 people who don't want any new B&Bs — at least not now, said Larry Bartley, the group's executive director.

B&Bs kill the cohesive nature of neighborhoods, Bartley said. "It's a disaster for neighborhoods," he said, adding that vacationers and residents don't mix.

The group also wants the city to do more to close the illegal B&Bs.

"What we need to see before we even discuss anything about legalization is the will of the city to enforce" existing laws, Bartley said. "Our opinion is that (the city) is not effectively enforcing, they're not doing nearly what they could be doing to close down these illegals."

The city's Department of Planning and Permitting is short-handed and has not hired new inspectors to enforce laws, Bartley said.

City Planning and Permitting Director David Tanoue could not be reached for comment on Friday.

HOTEL ALTERNATIVES

Supporters of more B&B permits argue that they help the economy by providing an attractive alternative to hotels. They also give residents an additional source of income.

Leading the charge on that side is the Hawaii Vacation Rental Owners Association.

The group's president, Angie Larson, said B&B operators in her organization are misunderstood. She and her members work hard to blend into neighborhoods and not cause a disruption, she said.

The operations are not big-time money-making ventures but can supplement a family's income, Larson said.

"It's certainly not going to pay our mortgage or help us with all our finances, but it helps us stay independent," she said.

Larson supports a B&B bill that would allow for new permits only if the owner lives on the premises. It would also limit the number of guests and require off-street parking.

"This bill is reasonable, it's sensible and it's not complicated," Larson said.

Committee members tomorrow will be looking at two B&B bills — Bills 06-08 and 07-08, each of which has three versions. Larson said she supports a version of Bill 7.

Tam said he favors his version of Bill 6, which would also allow for permitting of new B&Bs while beefing up parking and noise restrictions.

Those are the two main enforcement issues raised by the city Planning and Permitting Department, Tam said.

Councilman Ikaika Anderson said legislation can address concerns raised by all sides. He represents the Windward side, which many consider "Ground Zero" for the debate because of the many vacation homes in the region.

Anderson said he does not support Bill 6, which leaves discretion of fines against bed-and-breakfasts to the planning and permitting director.

Instead, he supports Bill 7 which has set fines.

"I think it's reasonable we could allow for a possibility of issuing additional B&B permits so long as there is strict enforcement, so long as the fines are non-negotiable, and so long as we allow no more than one permit per property owner so as to avoid proliferation," Anderson said.