Urban Design Review Board hears opposition to modern homes in historic Lahaina

Facing strong public opposition to modern home designs for rebuilding in Lahaina, the Urban Design Review Board on Tuesday began scrutinizing a lengthy draft guide outlining post-wildfire building standards for the historic town devastated by a deadly wildfire in August 2023.

Off the cuff, board members expressed reservations about its 187-page length and a lack of clarity in the post-wildfire residential design standards for the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District. Ultimately, they decided to take more time to review the draft guide and submit written comments to the board secretary before their next meeting on June 3.

Moving forward, the board’s recommendations will be reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Division and the Maui County Cultural Resources Commission, which will ultimately adopt the guidelines.

In public testimony, Tiare Lawrence, who has family roots in Lahaina, said her 84-year-old kūpuna barely survived the wildfire, and “my family and I were raised in the heart of old Lahaina town when our town was truly a plantation town, rich with community, culture and humility.”

She noted that earlier in its meeting Tuesday, board members reviewed designs for a home “that looks more Malibu than Maui.”

“I need to speak clearly,” Lawrence said. “This is not the future we want for Lahaina.”

She pointed specifically at the proposed reconstruction of the Front Street home of Stanley and Dilara Deal, which sparked controversy before the Maui Planning Commission for the Deals’ application for a special management area permit — now deferred until mid July.

Lawrence called the Deal house “a prime example of what should never be allowed here — oversized, ultra-modern, luxury homes like that do not reflect the history or spirit of our town.”

“They threaten to erase it,” she said. “These types of homes will raise property taxes, drive out generational families like mine, and permanently damage the cultural fabric of our community.”

The planning commission has an Aug. 20 deadline to render a decision on the Deals’ permit application. Otherwise, the permit will be approved, as submitted.

Maui architect Peter Niess said he agreed with Lawrence about the necessity to keep Lahaina a small town.

Also, he said he had issues with the draft guidelines, which he called “really long” and “really cumbersome.” And, there are conflicts, he said — for example, examples of plantation and neo-plantation architecture refer to the “exact, same image.”

“When you’re trying to explain to a client that they can do this, but they can’t do that, and (the design guidelines) are showing the exact, same image — it’s maddening,” he said. “… “So, it just needs to be tightened up in many ways. It just needs to be clear.”

And there’s confusion about whether the guidelines are “a requirement or just a desire,” Niess said.

The goal should be to achieve a small town, “as close as we can to what it was, without making it a Disneyland of colonial design,” he said.

Katie Austin also echoed Lawrence’s comments, saying “I do feel that it’s extremely important that we keep that character of our community, and we need the strongest protections possible to do so.”

She seconded Lawrence’s suggestion that the historic district design guideline be extended from Māla Wharf to Puamana. Austin asked the board to expedite its review so it could help inform decisions on Lahaina rebuilding pending before the Maui Planning Commission.

Kai Nishiki urged board members to “take responsibility for how our towns are being rebuilt.”

Although plans for the proposed Deal home are being processed by the Maui Department of Planning as a “rebuild,” Nishiki said members of the Urban Design Review Board have an “opportunity to relook, rethink, reassess and really just do better, because this is the one chance that we’re going to get to rebuild with foresight.”

Nishiki also asked board members not to accept a “cherry-picked version” of planning analysis that support development. “So please be very thorough in the review and demand better from the Planning Department.”

The Maui County Urban Design Review Board advises the Planning Department 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 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 but still fall within the Lahaina Historic Landmark District.