The Lahaina Community Land Trust has been helping fire survivor families keep their land in community hands if they decide to sell their burned property.
Now, the Maui County Council has granted the organization pre-authorization to use $5 million from the county’s Managed Retreat Revolving Fund.
Lahaina ‘ohana with shoreline properties may not be able to rebuild the homes they lost because of their nearshore location. In that case, the land trust could work with them to develop a perpetual stewardship agreement.
“Lahaina CLT buys the ‘āina, giving the family resources to move inland, and then works with that ‘ohana to maintain a relationship to the land, allowing access, continuation of cultural practices, and will restore those nearshore ecosystems, and [provide] public access and benefits to the wider community as well,” said Lahaina Community Land Trust Executive Director Autumn Ness, during the recent council meeting.
That process often needs to happen fast, she added.
“We’ve learned that once a family makes the choice — the really difficult choice to sell — things often tend to move quickly and unfortunately the speed of investor-driven real estate also moves quickly,” she explained.
“So Lahaina CLT needs to be ready to move, make offers, and save ‘āina at the same speed, in order to meet the family’s needs, ensure those parcels are stewarded in ways that consider sea level rise and community needs rather than profit or luxury homes, which is where these would probably end up if we can’t make an offer. So giving us a pre-approved permission to use this money to acquire land would allow us to serve all those needs.”
The Managed Retreat Revolving Fund currently totals $12 million. The council voted unanimously to pass a resolution authorizing the land trust to use up to $5 million of that.
The county said that the Planning Department is meeting with many of those property owners, and refers them to the land trust if they need to sell but want to maintain a relationship with their ‘āina.
The Lahaina Community Land Trust has already secured two parcels into community ownership through the trust, and is currently under contract for four more. Together, these parcels are zoned to allow 13 houses to be built to provide affordable homes to Lahaina residents in perpetuity.
“Lahaina is building a model of land protection and resident organizing that is already becoming a model for other communities, especially in LA after their fires,” Ness said.
