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Maui County’s new planning director, Kate Blystone, wants people to “think big” when it comes to rebuilding Lahaina.

At the last of five community workshops to brainstorm how to rebuild the town that was largely destroyed by the Aug. 8 fire, some people wanted the footprint of the once-thriving business district to remain the same, but with three-story parking garages at each end. Others wanted the area that includes a part of Front Street to become a park or cultural corridor, honoring the place King Kamehameha made the Hawaiian Kingdom’s capital in 1802.

The information gathered from these events, as well as from , will be taken into consideration as the county creates its long-term recovery plan for Lahaina.

A draft plan is scheduled to be released by the fall, followed by public review before a final plan is presented in December.

“Then we go with it,” Blystone said.

The Lahaina that burned nearly a year ago had evolved from a major whaling port and fishing village in the 1800s into a global tourist destination known for its art shops, historical sites, 151-year-old banyan tree and harbor where boat operators offered whale watching, snorkeling and fishing trips.

“Lahaina was built over generations, and it’s not going to go back overnight,” Blystone said. “But we’re certainly moving faster than generations, that’s for sure.”

About 900 people attended the workshops, including 200 that packed into the cafeteria of Lahainaluna High School on June 29 for the last one that focused on Lahaina’s business and historic districts. The other workshops covered rebuilding neighborhoods.

The plan that is being created will feature a list of prioritized programs and projects, with a timeline of doing them.

Simultaneously, the county’s new Office of Recovery is working with the state and others on its own list. This includes Luke Myers, the state disaster recovery coordinator, who is engaging with other state agencies on projects and programs that can be fed into the plan, Blystone said.

“Our job is to compare those projects with what we hear in the community and see if there are any gaps, and then create more projects and programs to fill those gaps,” Blystone said.

At this stage, the county and state will apply for federal disaster funding and other grants and sources of money to pay for these projects and programs. The county has been receiving guidance and support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Assistance Program and help from volunteers on the plan.

Blystone added that the plan that will be put out in December is just the starting point and will evolve in the years to come.

“As we finish projects, we’re going to celebrate those wins, and we’re going to notice new things,” she said. “So every few years, we’re going to have to update it.”

All ideas were documented on large sheets of white paper that were displayed at the workshop. They were listed under what to keep or what to change. Colored stickers placed by attendees showed what was most popular.

While most of the projects will be inside the 5-mile burn zone, there could be some outside of that if they benefit the redevelopment of Lahaina.

“Perhaps a treatment facility,” Blystone said.

With the approach of the one-year anniversary of the disaster that killed at least 102 people, burned more than 2,200 homes, businesses, historical buildings, public buildings and a school and damaged its once-bustling harbor, the county has received some criticism for not moving faster on the plan.

“I think in times of crisis and trauma, it’s probably impossible not to always feel behind,” said Priti Shah, FEMA’s community assistance field coordinator for Lahaina’s recovery.

But the county has said its emphasis was on the immediate needs of food, housing, cleanup and dealing with the trauma. 

“We needed to take a breath,” Blystone said.

She said she thinks the timing of engaging with the public on rebuilding has been good, with some people needing time to grieve and address other more pressing things. The rebuilding ideas at the last workshop were voiced one after another at 10 tables around the cafeteria.

At one table focused on design, business owner Leil Koch said for any of the ideas to be successful, “we need to recreate the economic interest in Front Street.” He said that’s where the jobs will be, adding that they also need to “recreate the culture.”

Others disagreed, saying with climate change and sea level rise, nothing should be rebuilt right along the ocean, especially the buildings that literally hang over the water. Much of Front Street falls squarely in a sea level rise exposure area even under conservative assumptions, according to the .

While some other communities have moved faster on a recovery plan, Maui is ahead of others, “which of course puts a lot more pressure on permitting and things like that,” Blystone said.

Several private property owners already are rebuilding on their own land.

As of last month, the county had issued 32 building permits in the Lahaina and Kula burn zones, with another 65 in some part of the plan review process, said Mike Renner, director of development recovery services for , a company hired by the county to help expedite building permits.

Six of the property owners have begun building, he said, so there are active plumbing and rebar inspections along with foundations going in. He added that one home is ready to put up the trusses for the roof.

But not all permits have gone smoothly, said Renner, whose 4LEAF representatives are now available at the at the Lahaina Gateway. He said the county soon will be putting out a list of the most recurring issues with building plans and other things in the permitting process.

Col. Eric Swenson with the Army Corps recently said the cleanup is expected to be completed within months for the residential properties and by February for the commercial properties.

That is about the time the county will be seeking funding for its long-term plan projects.

The county had a good start on the plan due to its recent completion of the , which was adopted by the Maui County Council on Dec. 17, 2021, and went into effect Jan. 31, 2022.

“All of it could carry over because it’s really a foundational document,” said Blystone, who worked on the plan while she was a senior planner for the county. “The vision they set out is not terribly dissimilar than what we’re hearing right now. And there may be needs to tweak in the future, but I’m not seeing any just yet.”

Blystone said she couldn’t speak about specific projects as the list is being put together. However, she did say that a bus hub could be a possibility with it being part of the West Maui Community Plan Update and the plan.

One challenge is that zoning codes and laws that are in place now may not allow for the things that people loved most about Lahaina, Blystone said.

“So it’s important that we talk to the community about what they loved and what they cared about so that we can adjust how we do business as usual so that we’re meeting the community where they need us to be,” she said.

And while moving quickly is important in recovery, so is moving in the direction that meets the community’s needs.

“We have to just make sure that we’re building a community that can last generations,” Blystone said.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.