The Maui County Water and Infrastructure Committee voted Oct. 21 to recommend first reading of a revised Bill 110 that narrows an earlier proposal and exempts certain Front Street properties in Lahaina from county street-improvement requirements when rebuilding after a declared disaster.

Committee Chair Tom Cook presided over the meeting. The committee approved a substitute (CD1) that limits the exemption to structures on Front Street between Shaw Street and Baker Street within Maui County Historic Districts Nos. 1 and 2 that were destroyed or damaged by a declared emergency. The substitute was moved by Vice Chair Yukili Sugimura and seconded by Council Member Tamara Paulton; the committee then recommended first reading of the amended bill. The chair announced committee approval to send the item to the full council for consideration.

Why it matters: Supporters said the narrow exemption will reduce permit uncertainty and lower upfront costs for commercial property owners trying to rebuild storefronts and businesses on Front Street — a corridor they described as Lahaina’s economic engine. Opponents and some staff flagged related concerns about historic-preservation review, emergency access and whether the county should shoulder deferred infrastructure work.

Supporters and testimony
Several Front Street property owners and business representatives testified in support. Leo Coach, co-managing partner of Local Maui LLC, said the uncertainty about street-improvement requirements had delayed rebuilding and increased costs: “We need to rebuild and recreate Lahaina’s historic economic engine,” Coach said. Warren Freeland, whose family owns the Pioneer Inn property, said the lack of clarity was “a complete roadblock” for many Front Street owners.

Theo Morrison, executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, and Ryan Churchill of Pacific Rim Land described Front Street as a functional, pedestrian-oriented street that should not be widened. Morrison noted the street’s past recognition by the American Planning Association and said widening would risk historic features such as a cut-stone wall in front of the Baldwin home. Jonathan Helton of the Grassroots Institute of Hawaii told the committee the bill would provide certainty to owners already in permit processes.

McKinley Eads, project manager for Friedman Investment Group Mariners, cited federal recovery funding in her testimony and urged the exemption: “Maui County has received $1,600,000,000 in federal community development block grant disaster recovery funds, including $400,000,000 specifically designated for infrastructure and public facilities,” Eads said, arguing those funds are intended for community recovery rather than shifting costs to individual owners.

Staff comments and committee questions
John Smith, administrator for the Office of Recovery, said the bill aligns with ongoing recovery work on Front Street and with an Office of Recovery memorandum issued in September that said no additional right-of-way dedication was required for certain Front Street projects. Director Jordan Molina of the Department of Public Works and First Deputy Corporation Counsel Mimi Dejardin were present; Dejardin reviewed non-substantive corrections in the CD1 substitute.

Committee members asked staff about related issues. Members pressed the Office of Recovery and staff on:
- Historic-preservation process: Multiple testifiers and members asked whether archeological reviews required by the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) could be streamlined or performed at a district level to avoid duplicative, costly, and time-consuming parcel-by-parcel reviews. A testifier estimated individual archaeological compliance could cost roughly $250,000 per parcel and delay rebuilding months to a year.
- Emergency access and evacuation: Staff said the county intends to pursue an extension of Lewikini Street behind Front Street to serve as an alternate evacuation route; that work is separate from the bill.
- Deferred public improvements and funding: Committee members asked whether the county has estimated the total cost of public-right-of-way improvements deferred by the exemption. Smith said no islandwide study has quantified the total cost for Front Street, but noted federal CDBG-DR infrastructure funds are available to offset public infrastructure needs as part of broader recovery work.

Opposition and other concerns
Planning staff had previously submitted comments opposing a broader version of the bill; committee members and counsel said the CD1 narrows the scope and reduces potential conflict with the West Maui Community Plan. Testimony from a speaker identifying as a representative of the Royal House of Hawaii objected broadly on land-title and descendant-notification grounds; the committee did not take legal action on the title claims during the meeting.

Vote and next steps
The committee approved substitution to CD1 and recommended first reading of Bill 110 as amended. The chair announced the motions carried in committee; the item will move to the full council for further consideration and any additional amendments.

Ending
The committee discussion emphasized balancing the need to accelerate commercial rebuilding with parallel county work on historic-preservation procedures, evacuation-route improvements and use of federal recovery funds to address public infrastructure needs. The full council will receive the committee’s recommendation and the substituted Bill 110 on first reading.