Arita Poulson selected to lead first commercial rebuild on Lahaina’s Front Street

Arita Poulson General Contracting will lead the reconstruction of 612 Front Street, the first commercial rebuild on Front Street since the August 2023 wildfire. Project partners and contractors on the project gathered for a blessing led by Kahu Wilmont Kahaialiʻi to mark the start of construction. Construction is expected to take approximately six months, with tenant build-out to follow and an opening targeted for summer 2027.

“We all have memories of walking down historic Front Street, stopping into the shops or enjoying a meal with family,” said Shannon Robinson, controller at Arita Poulson General Contracting. “Skilled Maui craftsmen with deep personal connections to this place will lead our work to honor the past and rebuild for the future.”

The rebuild will bring back the familiar storefronts at 612 Front Street, closely matching the appearance of the buildings lost in the fire and keeping both structures within their original footprints. Owned by AJI LLC and managed by Pacific Rim Land, the property will include a one-story, 4,400-square-foot commercial building with four street-level bays and a one-story, 310-square-foot detached kiosk. 

Fire-resistant materials, including metal roofing and cement board siding in place of wood, will make the structures more resilient, while preserving their familiar appearance. Plans also include native landscaping and resurfacing of the existing parking lot.

“We selected Arita Poulson because they have a 40-year track record of building in our communities,” said Ryan Churchill, president of Pacific Rim Land Company. “We trust them, and their Maui workforce, to restore this piece of Front Street with the respect and care Lahaina deserves.”

Pacific Whale Foundation, the building’s anchor tenant, has called Lahaina home since 2004. Its Ocean Store at 612 Front Street served as a check-in location for whale watches and snorkel cruises, a shop for ocean-friendly goods and a place to learn about the nonprofit’s marine research and conservation work. The organization resumed cruises from Lahaina Harbor in June, and the rebuild will give it a permanent Front Street presence again.

“Our Front Street Ocean Store gave us a place to share our love for the ocean and connect people with the work of protecting it,” said Dayna Garland, executive director of Pacific Whale Foundation.“Returning to Lahaina means renewing those relationships and the next step of being part of this community’s future. We look forward to welcoming people back and continuing that work from a place that means so much to us.”

To mark the start of construction, Arita Poulson is donating $5,000 to Treecovery, the Maui nonprofit growing trees to reforest fire-affected areas and caring for Lahaina’s banyan tree. The donation will support reforestation in Lahaina town through the planting of indigenous trees and canoe plants, helping restore shade and greenery to community gathering places.

Arita Poulson is part of the Goodfellow Brothers family of companies. Goodfellow Brothers has supported Lahaina’s recovery through care for the banyan tree, debris removal, and the construction of short-term housing and the temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School campus. Arita Poulson’s work continues that effort with a Maui workforce and local subcontractors.

Arita Poulson also serves as general contractor for Lahaina Residential, a 60-home community at 1034 Front Street that held its groundbreaking Oct. 2. The company’s continued work in Lahaina includes the completion of Bank of Hawaiʻi’s new 3,400-square-foot branch at Lahaina Cannery Mall, restoring a permanent banking location to the community after its previous branch was destroyed in the wildfire. Arita Poulson also recently completed Powerhouse Gym at Gateway Mall, helping bring another community amenity back to West Maui.