Lahaina’s rebuilding: Historic design rules up for review after wildfire devastation

As Lahaina begins to rebuild in the wake of the August 2023 wildfire disaster, residents and visitors of the beloved historic town are asking whether it will retain the historic character that went up in smoke and ashes.

Now, an answer to that question is ready for review on May 6 by the Maui County Urban Design Review Board, which advises the Department of Planning on design-related matters. Draft residential design standards for the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District address a broad spectrum of design issues, ranging from architectural style, a building’s shape, height and construction materials.

The board’s recommendations will be forwarded to the Department of Planning and ultimately inform decision-making by the Maui Planning Commission.

However, the architectural stylebook may be too late for the first application for the precedent-setting commission decision on a special management area permit for reconstruction of a two-story oceanfront Front Street home and its modern design. And, there’s more to come: owners of 11 other oceanfront properties are seeking SMA permits to rebuild, which is nearly 13% of the 86 similarly situated properties destroyed or damaged in the wildfire disaster.

Last week, Maui Planning Commission concluded public testimony and postponed a decision on the special management area permit application submitted by Stanley and Dilara Deal in August 2024. During the public comment and in some remarks from commission members, a prevailing sentiment appeared to be in favor of the Deals revising their contemporary design to better align with Lahaina’s historical architectural style, a direction now supported by the specific details outlined in the draft residential design standards.

The commission has an Aug. 20 deadline to render a decision. If not, the permit will be approved, as submitted. The commission is expected to take up the permit application, again, in mid-July.

Stanley Deal, a retired Boeing executive and resident of Mercer Island, Wash., and his wife plan to spend $1.85 million to reconstruct their home at 1045 Front Street to substantially the same structure as before the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire, which destroyed or damaged structures on 8,461 properties.

Originally built in 2018, the Deals’ two-story, 3,617-square-foot home had a contemporary design, which some have likened to homes in Malibu, Calif. The 8,668-square-foot lot still has a swimming pool and a rock seawall, which was built before 1963.

The draft Lahaina post-fire, single-family residential design standards pending before the Urban Design Review Board

The first page of the draft design standards says that “previously permitted dwellings and outbuildings may be rebuilt if they accurately duplicate buildings that were extant on the date of the Lahaina wildfire.”

If the original building permit is not available, property owners and architects could use photos and tax assessor’s records and surveys with building diagrams. “Interiors may be reworked, but architectural style, massing, height and fenestration (windows, doors and other openings) must reproduce the original design,” the draft says.

The design guidelines will direct what’s allowed and not allowed for rebuilding homes in Lahaina’s Historic Landmark District, established in 1962. The Maui County Board of Supervisors established two non-contiguous historic districts in Lahaina in 1967, and the boundaries of those do not correspond with the Lahaina Historic Landmark District.

While the Deals’ oceanfront Front Street home project — located near the US Seamen’s Hospital and Baker Street — is within the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District, it’s not within the county’s historic district boundaries. This adds another layer of complexity to the decision pending before the planning commission.

The landmark district is a 33-acre area that houses and structures over 50 years old. Before the wildfire, several notable structures in the area included the Baldwin House Museum, Old Spring House, Lahaina Court House, Old Lahaina Prison, Waiola Church and Cemetery, Hale Aloha, the Seamen’s Hospital and Maria Lanakila Catholic Church, according to a Planning Department staff report.

The draft residential guidelines recognize different eras of Lahaina’s history, including Native Hawaiian, whaling/missionary, Victorian, “plantation vernacular,” “Neo-plantation,” modern ranch and two-story “modern” homes dating from the early 1970s.

The board may provide its comments to the Department of Planning.

The board is chaired by Paul Areus of Haʻikū and vice chaired by Ashley Otomo of Wailuku. The Lahaina member is Jeremy Stoddart. The board has six members and three vacancies.

The Urban Design Review Board’s meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. May 6. In-person testimony using audio/visual technology will be available at the Current Planning Division Conference Room, Suite 619, at One Main Plaza, 2200 Main St., Wailuku. Because of limited space, participants are encouraged to attend via Webex video conferencing. The meeting ID is: 2660 012 4995; Password: 050625.