"Keep Lahaina lands in Lahaina hands." That's the goal of the newly formed nonprofit Lahaina Community Land Trust.
Board member Carolyn Auweloa of Lahaina says the organization was born out of concern for the community after the fire.
“We're familiar with what a lot of them are facing with regards to having a mortgage on a house that no longer stands, how expensive land is in Lahaina, and how it might be very difficult for some people to be able to hold on and stick it out. And that's not something everybody likes to talk about."
Auweloa says staying in Lahaina may not be possible for everyone — and investors are ready to swoop in.
“We all hope for the best and want to see everyone be able to stay, but the very real reality is that there are people with lots and lots of money that see Lahaina as the golden egg," Auweloa said.
"We were worried that folks that are having a hard time, struggling financially, would feel like they don't have any other choice and we know what it is to love this place but be stuck between a rock and a hard place," she added.
West Maui County Councilmember Tamara Paltin is also the land trust’s board president.
“Our main reason for existence is to preserve the character of our community and help the multigenerational and lineal descendants of Lahaina be able to remain in Lahaina," Paltin said.
Organizers spoke with officials of other land trusts in Hawaiʻi and across the country. They researched options and brought in resources and legal advice.
Auweloa says the community’s reaction to a land trust was positive.
“Many people responded with a very strong yes,” she said. “A lot of people that we knew were already getting approached by people trying to buy property. And that just further kind of galvanized the feeling for like, ‘Man, we have to try and do something, we can't just not try.’”
Paltin says all the unknowns remaining with the recovery and rebuilding process are leaving families uncertain about their options. For some, moving back is just too traumatic.
“We just wanted to try and be able to hold space for folks, if they have no other option and they need to sell or they need to move away for a little while for whatever reason,” Paltin told HPR.
“Also I have heard from some folks, the manner in which they escaped, at least at this time they don't see themselves coming back to Lahaina because it was so tragic and horrific, how they got out that it's kind of traumatic to think about coming back.”
Community organizer Autumn Ness says the Lahaina Community Land Trust is different than others.
“People often think of land trust as one of two things, either a conservation land trust, or an affordable housing land trust. But you can actually be both,” Ness said. “And I'm learning from a lot of people that I really respect in this field, that there's actually third option as well — that there is a place where conservation and community and housing and economic development all can merge.”
Ness says the process could go something like this.
“Somebody doesn't want to, but needs to sell their land and they got an offer from an investor,” Ness explained. “They come to the land trust and they say, ‘Hey, can I partner with you?’ And depending on the land trust’s resources and the parcel, the land trust may say ‘Yes, we're going to buy your parcel and put it into trust,'" Ness said.
"Then in five years' time or 10 years’ time, when we all know a bit more about what Lahaina is going to look like, the trust can decide, with community input, is this parcel suitable for affordable housing? Is this a culturally sensitive property?”
Organizers are investigating buy-back clauses or partnerships so families might be able to put their land in trust and return when they’re ready to rebuild. Ness says they’re also looking into the legal options of easements instead of land ownership.
They say the land trust is also a good option to buy back land from out-of-state owners in Lahaina looking to cut ties after the fire.
The land trust is in the fundraising process and accepting donations through its website.
