Grace Baptist Church wins final approval for change of zoning to rebuild after wildfire

Maui County Council members unanimously approved on second-and-final reading this morning a bill for conditional change of zoning from residential to public/quasi-public for Grace Baptist Church. Last year’s wildfire destroyed the longtime church, and members of its congregation are eager to rebuild.

“Grace Baptist Church has been a fixture in the Lahaina community for over 50 years,” said West Maui Council Member Tamara Paltin. And, with the change of zoning, “they’re able to not just rebuild in their original footprint . . . but rebuild the church of their dreams.”

Council Member Tasha Kama said it’s very exciting to see the church rebuild, one of the first to do so in devastated Lahaina. “What wasn’t now is going to be again,” she said. “So this is exciting, the beginning of many more to come.”

Bill 114 now advances to Mayor Richard Bissen for final action.

Although there is no zoning specifically for churches, the public quasi-public zoning will make it easier for the church to get permitting from Maui County, according to Pastor Harry Timmons.

The church’s 0.75-acre property is at 164 Fleming Road in Lahaina. Church structures burned to the ground during the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire that destroyed more than 2,000 structures.

The request for rezoning came before the full Council in late March. The matter was referred to the Maui Planning Commission for review.

For more information about the church or to offer financial assistance, go to gbmaui.com.