LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) – This summer marks three years since the deadliest wildfire in modern U.S. history killed more than 100 people and erased the historic town of Lahaina.
Now, plans are moving forward with the town’s Royal Complex Master Plan, an effort to transform the historic area into one of the world’s most significant sacred cultural places.
A blessing for the area signified the start of a new era for Lahaina, one that honors the past.
“We think about Mokuʻula, Mokuhinia, that is one of the most significant sites in Hawaii, and when we think about the sacredness of the space, we want to make sure that people can visit, the mannerisms in which they visit,” said Kaponoʻai Molitau, the county’s Director of ʻŌiwi Resources.
The plans were first announced at the Lahaina Community Monthly Disaster Recovery Meeting Wednesday night.
Molitau said feedback has been positive so far.
“We have an opportunity to create new storyboards,” Molitau said. ”When we think about the history of Lahaina prior to the fire, it was really whaling era, missionary era. Not a lot of talk about Hawaii’s history and its complex history and the makeup of that, and here we have an opportunity to really bring Hawaii’s story forward,” Molitau said.
The area, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, includes the former residence of King Kamehameha III and stretches from Shaw Street past the Banyan Tree.
Molitau said they hope to have the initial master plan completed in the spring.
“My own ʻiʻini, desires, is to make sure that from seven generations from now, those great, great, greats that are part of our ʻohana are the beneficiaries of all of that, of all of this work,” he said.
Molitau said the county wants the area to become a national monument so people who visit from around the world learn what makes Lahaina special.
“This particular project is gonna take generations, and when we think about restoring it correctly and telling the story correctly, we wanna make sure that we do it right the first time.”
The county is asking Hawaii residents, especially Lahaina kupaʻāina (native-born), to participate in an online survey that will help shape the area.
Survey: https://arcg.is/0mbmDy.
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