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Challenges

Lahaina and Kula residents and businesses seeking to rebuild after the August 2023 fires face a complex, multi-layered permitting landscape. Properties in Lahaina are located within multiple overlapping regulatory zones—Historic Districts, Special Management Areas, shoreline and flood zones—triggering numerous permitting requirements. Many are unfamiliar with these requirements, causing delays, added costs, and frustration.

This project aims to accelerate rebuilding by developing tools and templates that simplify the permitting process without bypassing necessary reviews. The focus is on properties with pre-fire entitlements, not new development. The goal is to enable faster, more affordable recovery for families and small businesses.

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Approaches

  • Permitting Wizard
    • Online tool that guides property owners through a customized series of questions to identify which State and County permits they need, based on their property's location, land use entitlements, and desire to rebuild.
    • Outputs a report summarizing required permits and estimated timelines.
  • Baseline Technical Studies & Permit Templates
    • Prepares required studies (e.g., cultural, archaeological, traffic, topo) in advance for the full Lahaina region.
    • Provides ready-to-use permit application templates (e.g., SMA, Historic District, HRS Chapter 343 Environmental Assessment) and standardized conditions to expedite review.
  • Coordinated Review
    • Supports scheduling special Planning Commission and Cultural Resource Commission meetings or forming dedicated review bodies for rebuilding.
    • Adds staff capacity and a Homeowner Navigator role to help guide applicants through the process.

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Team Members

  • Project Team: Leilani Pulmano (Pacific Rim), Lauren Kaiser (Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, PacIOOS), Audrey Cabrera (Brown & Caldwell), Collette Cardoza (County of Maui Planning Department)‍
  • Support: County of Maui ‍
  • Partners: County & State reviewing agencies, permitting consultants, and community members

Alignment with West Maui Community Plan (WMCP)

  • Long-Term Recovery Plan: Supports accelerated rebuilding and restoration of affected communities
  • Maui Island Plan & West Maui Community Plan: Encourages coordinated land use, cultural sensitivity, and climate resilience
  • Community Development Block Grant: Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR): Supports housing and infrastructure recovery

Objectives

  1. Reduce permitting barriers for property owners rebuilding post-fire.
  2. Improve clarity and transparency of required approvals.
  3. Save residents and government time and money in the review process.
  4. Promote consistent, place-based rebuilding aligned with community values.

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Tasks and Timeline

  • Identify lead agency
  • Prepare Requests For Proposals for Permitting Wizard, Technical Studies, and Templates
  • Develop and launch Permitting Wizard tool
  • Complete regional technical studies
  • Finalize and release application templates
  • Estimated timeline: 2026 for deployment of the Permitting Wizard tool and 2027 for baseline technical studies and permitting templates

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Project Budget (Estimated)

  • Permitting Wizard tool: $500,000
  • Project management & template development: $500,000
  • Technical studies and permit templates: $1,500,000
  • Programmatic HRS Chapter 343 Environmental Assessment: $1,000,000
  • County Planning Department capacity: TBD

Funding

Existing: County or OPSD support (TBD)

Potential: Private grants, State GIA, County CIP, CDBG-DR, USDA Rural Development, Rural Business Development Grant, Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI)

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