Station 4: Waterfront

Please put pressure on the state/DLNR/DOBOR to speed up their 5 year timeline for the rebuilding of Lahaina Harbor. We are told the red tape prohibits them from moving any faster. How can this be? It is a simple plan and one of the easier fixes among the many complex issues to be resolved in the general rebuilding of Lahaina. Many of us both commercial and recreational users are having a difficult time convincing the state/DLNR/DOBOR to place any importance on the rebuild. We feel powerless. Could the Mayor appeal to the Governor to help make this a priority for Lahaina? The effects of rebuilding the harbor would have positive reverberations for all of the downtown area - both the royal complex and the commercial district. Side note - My other half has an idea to put the canoe on the north side of the ferry dock (which the ferry has not once used) and build a breakwall there to support the canoe and surfer/fishing access safely with minimal impacts. This could tie in beautifully to the royal complex. Mahalo for any support to get our state to rebuild this harbor in a timely manner!

Please consider not allowing cruise ships back to Lahaina. As a harbor user, the cruise ships create an exorbitant amount of traffic in the harbor and the harbor bathrooms get destroyed by the influx of people. The cruise ships do an excellent job at keeping the money spent on the ship and not in the town. I have personally seen many times (at the harbor and at Ross) busses line up at the harbor to bus cruise ship guests to Ross. The ships are also an eyesore for all Lahaina residents. This may seem like a small deal, but taking a beach walk, seeing friends and neighbors and not having to see the cruise ships would be most welcome to those of us that live in Lahaina. It would be a positive step - uplifting and joyful to not have to see them out there.

Tourist beach in the heart of Lahaina. Packed at sunset. I’m not feeling it.

I’d love to see the makai businesses come back, as some of them are long time favorites of mine, and the owners and employees are friends. But I have two concerns.
1) What effect will rebuilding over the ocean have on the shoreline and adjacent reef ecology. I’ve seen first hand the negative effects of shoreline construction on reefs and of hardening on beaches.
2) Will the county be held liable for future loss or damage to the property because it knowingly approved construction in a hazardous location, known to be subject to increasingly high tides, high surf, and sea level rise?

Please do not allow cruise ships to return to Lahaina. They abuse and overcrowd the harbor and our only public bathroom. The ships work very hard to keep their passengers money on the ship. I have witnessed the bulk of the passengers get bussed to Ross to buy their cheap Hawaiian trinkets made in the Philippines.

Add a break wall on the north side of the ferry dock with enough space to moor Lahaina’s sailing canoe the Mo’okiha. This would provide great access for the canoe to implement its cultural and educational mission. The break wall would also be great place for surfers to enter the water safely away from boat traffic. And it could also be used by fishermen.

Please put pressure on the state to rebuild Lahaina Harbor.

It doesn’t seem like there is enough space to have any useable park or open space. Let them build back and use county money for the royal complex and a boat ramp at cut mountain.

It will be great to have a green open space and structure with roof where we can practice hula and tai chi and people can have birthday parties etc. with BBQ facilities.

Yes! Strongly favor maximum continuous open space. How many locals (other than workers) would we normally see walking along Front Street? Almost none. It became almost 100% visitors. I think that’s shameful - why cannot local people and their families enjoy Front Street? Having only stores shuts them out. Need green spaces, places for kids to play near the ocean etc.

We need to be smart and respectful about the shoreline from a cultural and ecological standpoint. That said, I support makai Front St residential and commercial owners being permitted to rebuild (with the exception of 505 which is and has been a problem with all that water flowing through.) The presentation at the meeting seemed to insinuate that commercial owners were amenable to a buyout offer from the county, but ever owner I have spoken to very much wants to rebuild. I asked the young man at the table if any makai owners had agreed to sell to the county and he said no. To present this to us as a viable option, when owners are hoping to rebuild, seems like a veiled way to sway public opinion. Almost every friend, neighbor and colleague of ours who lived in Lahaina, feels these folks should be allowed to rebuild. All that money conceivably spent to buy out makai Front St owners could be spent on a new boat ramp down by Cut Mountain. The overcrowding at Mala boat ramp has been a huge problem for years. People in Lahaina and all over the island want more ocean vessel access. The shoreline down by Curt Mountain is deep, and could potentially have minimal impacts to the area, while moving some or all commercial Mala operators down there and reducing traffic down at Mala for local residents to enjoy it once again. Last comment - this proposed walkway does seem costly and wasteful as others have said. It's not really an ocean area conducive to access, as it's all reef and the beaches are accessible north and south. Mahalo for the ability for all opinions to be heard on this platform.

The Makai businesses employed over 500 people. A vast majority of them lived in Lahaina with their families. Let the businesses make the decisions to rebuild and incur the risks involved. Most of these businesses were 40 to over 100 year old family owned buildings. These businesses not only provided employment but paid millions in various taxes that support our island annually.
Relax the rules, allow the rebuilding as it was. Be supportive and help these businesses get rebuilt. Stop telling them all the reasons they can’t rebuild their family livelihoods.

I think large spaces will encourage too many tourists or water activities. Lots of people with gear like kayaks, floaties, scuba stuff etc could get very claustrophobic for a small town with no parking. I like the idea of many more small areas so residents could have a place they can walk to the shore and enjoy a small amount of peace away from crowds. I think more and smaller is better than one huge communal area.

Need safe sidewalk and bike path from Safeway to Lahaina Shores.

These areas just become homeless hangouts with syringe needles unsafe for families and the public. Unless you can ensure this won't return...don't plan for MORE public space.

Yes, connect the shoreline, but not with concrete. Remove all armoring north and south of the harbor to allow the natural shoreline to return, including our beaches. This will enable the community to walk the beaches from north of the harbor to Baby Beach and south to Puamana. There is no need for artificial or armored shorelines if we want to preserve our beaches, our coastal resources, and our coral reefs.

I don't know how the parcels are being appraised. Still, a parcel where a large part belongs to the State (due to encroachments) and the other part is entirely within the Erosion Hazard Line, limiting the build to a minimal 40 ft area, should have its appraisal consider all of this. It's not prime oceanfront real estate when you can't really build on it anymore.

Yes - prioritizing our ecosystem and the future of this island should be all of our top goals! Shoreline resiliency and reforestation.

If we're concerned about our economy, what happens when we continue to run our island's health into the ground? No one will want to come visit here.

There is barely any beach adjacent to commercial Front Street, and have you actually dived the reef adjacent to Front Street? Downtown Front Street waterfront is not safe, too limited and fragile to encourage foot traffic, not where you want more tourist access. There are accessible beaches to north and south

Except for our still-substandard sewage systems, these sound like manufactured gripes. What were these great limitations? There are miles of white sand Lahaina beach... just not commercial Front-street-adjacent. Waterfront restaurants were the heart of Front Street, not some impediment to imaginary watersports

We are not San Diego, do not pave the shoreline

This is a horrible photo of a graceless, sanitized shoreline, not even Kaanapali is this "connected" and dead. Please no.

So why isn't anything being done with at least Loko o Mokuhinia, Hale Piula, etc., after all this time? There is much existing research and enthusiasm outside of the county for restoring these sites

no more cruise ships.
they are terrible for the ecology of Lahaina and they only support the made in China stores. if they eat in the restaurants, 3 people share one meal. not beneficial to Lahaina in any way.
without them I believe the conversation around expanding the harbor can go away, too.

(the harbor was created by dredging the harbor and filling in moku'ula so can we not?)

I didn't realize how obsessed with building our lives around cars we had become as a society! we should be prioritizing safe, healthy spaces for PEOPLE which means walkability.

makai businesses were incredible while we had them and we should cherish those memories.

we should not be looking to build back Lahaina in a way that damages the ecology of this place as has been done SO many times.

Eliminating Moku'ula did a lot of ecological damage but we have a chance to fix the wrongs done to this place by colonization.

I dream that someday our 'ohana gets to see the 'ulu groves that once were.

Planning for Sea-level rise and the future should be a priority.

Let them build on the makai side. Front street won’t be the same with only one side

Let the properties on the makai side rebuild within reason. Whichever ones can’t be rebuilt because of coastal effects, etc. should become the open spaces

Yes native plants will do the best here.

This kind of waterfront pathway feels very vanilla and not the Lahaina vibe. Front street shouldn't be the Kaanapali boardwalk. If the shoreline is restored to be like baby beach or the other side of breakwall, that could great, but it would be sad if it is indistinguishable from a typical / modern north American river or beach walk.

Makai businesses needs to come back. It seems crazy to shoot the economy and locals in the foot when people are already struggling in this area. The fact that the govt is trying to buyout these business owners is overreach disguised as lovely meeting places. You can take your smart city and shove it. Bring back business, historical significance, and the economy to Lahaina.

Large open space

I agree with the person that said the shops should still be waterfront. Just build them to accommodate potential water intrusion. Make them out of materials that would withstand water. This is a big take away. For those connected to Lahaina and this community would they would not want such a drastic change. For those planning the rebuilding that are 'not' connected to Lahaina it is easier for them to say 'NO' ocean front establishments. Sorry but I'm for trying to rebuild as close as to what there was. Changing this road 'appearance' so drastically may result in loosing the Historical Front Street designation.

Can the county and state publish an online list of legally licensed/permitted commercial activity operators for shoreline and ocean based businesses? Legal businesses should be rewarded for complying with permit, tax, and employment regulations. Is there a community organization that could also offer a "Lahaina business certification" for legal operators? This could be a voluntary certificate program that gives businesses a placard to post in their shop and online. It can be a marketing tool for the legal businesses AND another way for consumers to identify businesses that are actually contributing to the community (and complying with permit, safety, etc. laws).

Put a cap on county and state commercial permits for ALL shoreline and ocean businesses/activities. Before the fire there were too many surf, kayak, etc. businesses that were not permitted or violating permit regulations with impunity. Overcrowding the beaches and surf breaks with commercial activity and employees parking in Front St lots and parking spaces with business vehicles parked for days/weeks in spots designated for a few hours use. Many of these businesses illegally paid employees cash under the table or illegally classified employees as 1099 independent contractors to evade payroll taxes, medical insurance benefits, and employment regulations.