#Maui County

Severe water restrictions in West Maui have led to the Plantation at Kapalua golf course that hosts the PGA Tourʻs The Sentry tournament of champions becoming so brown that the owner said it may soon have to close.

The Maui County Department of Human Concerns has released results of the 2025 Community Needs Assessment, a comprehensive survey to guide the department’s ongoing efforts to support residents’ well-being. “Conducted by Anthology Research, the study results offer valuable insights into residents’ perspectives on community needs and access to social services, including kūpuna services, early childhood […]

Lenders now have a longer period of time to try and recoup old mortgages, and the groups are especially worried about homeowners who got loans during the housing boom and foreclosure crisis of the 2000s.

Mayor Richard Bissen has signed two bills clearing the way for the development of 1,150 homes — both market-priced and workforce units — in the Honuaʻula master-planned community project south of Maui Meadows in South Maui. Bill 171, now Ordinance 5846, amends the project district’s zoning to reduce the number of homes from the original […]

The Maui County Council’s Water and Infrastructure Committee received a briefing Monday afternoon on a bill that would authorize the mayor to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the US Geological Survey for water resource exploration in West Maui.

Of the 446 applications already filed, 76% are for the first-time homebuyer program, reflecting the impact of the August 2023 wildfires on renters and the ongoing struggle of residents to afford a home in today’s pricey market.

The final factor in the traffic equation appears to be the trucks hauling Lahaina wildfire debris from the temporary disposal site in Olowalu to the permanent site at the Central Maui Landfill — up to 50 of them, according to the mauirecovers.org dashboard. The trucks are identified by “Lahaina Wildfire Debris” decals and are “making multiple round trips daily.”

The public has until Sept. 8 to comment on a draft environmental assessment for a Maui County Department of Water Supply project to sink and test four exploratory water wells in Launiupoko, West Maui.

Neighbors remember Kula Lodge and Restaurant’s tasty breakfasts, the cozy lodge setting and the generosity they showed after the 2023 wildfires. Kula Lodge’s owners say the restaurant is a “complete loss.”

“We don’t want anybody to be by themselves on days like this. We want them to be with their neighbors, their friends, their family, with us,” Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said.

The County of Maui Department of Housing is soliciting proposals for fiscal year 2027-28 grant funding from qualified private nonprofit and for-profit organizations that provide services and programs related to rental assistance and housing counseling within Maui County.

“The trauma will always be there for sure … but the image that I have in my mind of that day, it’s hard to picture that when you see frames being put up and you see construction happening,” fire survivor Dustin Kaleiopu said.

Just two years after the devastating wildfires, the Lahaina Community Land Trust is fighting what it calls a ‘second disaster’: the loss of a local community with deep generational roots to post-fire gentrification. The group announced Thursday it has secured 13 parcels of land, paving the way for up to 34 new housing units to be built and kept in local hands.

Hawaiian Electric’s efforts since the Aug. 8, 2023 wildfires on Maui are part of its $350 million, three-year Wildfire Safety Strategy that is projected to reduce fire risk by 68% to 72%.

A Maui County Council committee recommended approval Monday of a resolution expressing support for conveying public land in the vicinity of the Kahului Community Center and Kokua Pool for a 100-unit workforce rental housing project by Hale Makua Health Services in partnership with Alaka’i Development.

“The public information, or lack thereof, causes tremendous angst and panic, and we wanted to ensure that we improve in that area,” MEMA Administrator Amos Lonokailua-Hewett said.

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said his department over the past two years also has invested in better training and equipment for officers and dispatchers.

Registration for the Menehune Basketball Program runs through Aug. 14 for Maui island youth, the Maui County Department of Parks and Recreation announced. The free youth league will take place Sept. 2 to Dec. 12. The Menehune Basketball Program is open to keiki in grades 6 through 8. All registered players will be placed on […]

The 2023 Maui wildfires “still weigh heavily on everybody in the department, and it was something that a lot of our firefighters faced that day that they hope to never have to see again,” Maui Fire Chief Brad Ventura said.

Maui County’s Department of Parks and Recreation will host “Sunset Tunes,” a free, outdoor music series featuring live performances by local musicians, on five Fridays in August and September at Kalama Beach Park in Kīhei. The family-friendly events will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Aug. 1, Aug. 22, Aug. 29, Sept. 5 […]