Lahaina Updates
News on Lahaina’s recovery and rebuild, newest first. A new update is added each week when there’s real news to share.
Front Street is coming back to life. In early October, homeowners and officials broke ground on Lahaina Residential, a 60-home community at 1034 Front Street where every home was lost in 2023. Full construction begins this month and is expected to take about 18 months, with fire-resistant siding and roofing, defensible space and native, water-wise landscaping. Days later, a blessing launched work on 612 Front Street, the first permanent commercial rebuild on the street since the fire, with an opening targeted for summer 2027. New renderings were also released for the future King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which will rise on a new campus in Kuʻia, above the tsunami zone, with construction expected to start early next year.
For 12 months, clean up crews have been working nonstop to get rid of hazardous materials and make the land ready to build on again. Homes are slated to be built before commercial areas, and the first homes have already begun construction.
The Past Year in Lahaina
Fall 2025 to fall 2026 was the year Lahaina’s rebuild moved from cleanup to construction. Here are the milestones that shaped it.
Boats return to Lahaina Harbor
In mid-December 2025, the first commercial boats since the fire began operating from Lahaina Harbor again. The reopening was limited to daytime trips because the harbor still had no power, and more operators were added in the months that followed.
Planning the town’s future
The new year brought draft design guidelines meant to make rebuilding in the historic business district simpler, and steady permitting for homes across West Maui. The 2026 Legislature set aside $146 million to build a new King Kamehameha III Elementary School. The school will move to a new campus in Kuʻia, above the tsunami zone, and construction is expected to begin in early 2027.
The banyan keeps growing
Lahaina’s beloved banyan tree is alive and putting out new leaves and aerial roots, though it remains fragile. After a spring assessment, arborists decided to keep Banyan Tree Park fenced for about two more years to give the tree time to heal.
Front Street reopens
On August 1, 2026, Front Street reopened to traffic from Pāpalaua Street to Shaw Street after seawall, sidewalk and paving repairs. A week later, the third anniversary of the fire was marked with remembrance across Maui. By then the County reported nearly 600 homes rebuilt and occupied, about 400 more under construction, and debris removal essentially complete. Rebuilding of businesses has been much slower.
Building begins on Front Street
This fall brought the first construction on Front Street itself. In early October, families and officials broke ground on the 60-home Lahaina Residential community at 1034 Front Street. Days later, a blessing opened work on 612 Front Street, the first permanent commercial rebuild on the street since the fire, which is targeted to open in summer 2027. The ʻUlu o Lele marketplace is also preparing to bring local vendors, food trucks and music back to Front Street.
There is a long road ahead, but the signs of a living town are returning, one home, one business and one gathering at a time.