#autumn ness

LCLT is setting forth on a new path to steward Kainehe, known in recent decades as 1050 Front Street. LCLT’s dream for Kainehe is to create a living, breathing public space where art, play, and ancestral knowledge come together to reclaim ‘āina and the story of Lahaina for the people who for centuries have called this place home.

PacWhale Eco-Adventures, the social enterprise of Pacific Whale Foundation, will resume ocean operations from Lahaina Harbor beginning June 1, 2026, marking a meaningful milestone in Maui’s ongoing recovery following the 2023 wildfires.

Mākena Golf & Beach Club will host a community golf tournament, “I Mau Ke Aloha” on Aug. 30, 2026. The event will convene land trust partners, community leaders, and supporters around a shared commitment to healing, stewardship, and the enduring relationship between kānaka and ʻāina. 

The door to permanently affordable homeownership in Lahaina is now open. The Lahaina Community Land Trust has launched its homebuyer portal where Lahaina-rooted ʻohana can take the first step on the path to purchasing an affordable home. 

Fourteen individuals have been selected for Cohort X of the Hawaiʻi Leadership Forum’s Omidyar Fellows program, a leadership initiative that stresses connection to ʻāina and people, and helps its participants lead with purpose, mobilize communities and amplify positive change across Hawai‘i.

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.

In actuality, the typical household can comfortably afford a $379,000 house. But in 2024, there were zero homes sold within that price range, and only a half dozen single-family transactions under $500,000, according to the LCLT report.

Construction is set to begin in October 2025 as part of ongoing recovery efforts.

Maui County Council members voted unanimously, 9-0, on Friday to approve by resolution the use of up to $5 million from the Managed Retreat Revolving Fund for property acquisition by the Lahaina Community Land Trust.

If selling land is a last resort, the pledge recognizes that real estate professionals can serve as a safety net that connects homeowners with resources to help keep their families on their land.

Standing on ʻāina that will forever be protected for Lahaina’s kamaʻāina families, the Lahaina Community Land Trust gathered Monday with community leaders, friends and ‘ohana to celebrate and bless the first property secured into community ownership.

Autumn Ness and Ka‘i Niles will be the speakers at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset on Tuesday, Nov. 19. They will share information on the Lahaina Community Land Trust’s efforts to Keep Lahaina Lands in Lahaina.

The Rotary Club of Kīhei-Wailea will hear from Maui Hub’s general manager Brandi Sagon, and Autumn Ness, director of the Hawaiʻi Organic Land Management Program of Beyond Pesticides. The two will share information about Maui Hub and the importance of supporting local farmers, the economy and community.

The land trust says listings of burned properties in Lahaina with prices well above their assessed land values pre-fire will draw outside investors and put properties out of the reach of local buyers. But sellers say it’s a tough call to put their properties on the market and that they’re just trying to recoup their losses and move on with their lives.

The Lahaina Community Land Trust (LCLT) has secured its first parcel of community-owned land, that will be held in Lahaina hands forever, for the benefit of the local community for generations to come. The property at 1651 Lokia Street was secured by the LCLT in partnership with The Conservation Fund, a national land conservation organization. Once construction is complete, a homeowner will be chosen through a lottery system currently being developed by LCLT and its advisory board of Maui Komohana community leaders.

“Those are wonderful prices. Whoever wins the lottery on these 60 homes is going to truly win the lottery, so that better damn well be a fair lottery,” King said with a laugh. “I’m a little bit worried about the future asks, but I’m going to support this,” said Councilmember Kelly King. While the price is right for homes being built at Pulelehua, questions are raised about fair practices and proper prescedent.

The Maui County Council voted unanimously this week to pass Bill No. 72, which allows only pesticides and fertilizers that are compatible with organic systems and permitted under the USDA National Organic Program to be used on County property.

Organizers say they intend to plant food “with a goal of bringing Maui one step closer to food sovereignty and a future that is not dependent on chemical agriculture.”