For a lot of families in West Maui, the last three years have been one long wait. On Oct. 2, a group of them got to stand on their own property at 1034 Front Street in Lahaina and watch the first ceremonial shovels go in.
The homeowners of Lahaina Residential, a 60-home community lost in the August 2023 wildfire, gathered with Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura and the project team for a blessing led by Kahu Alalani Hill and a groundbreaking with ʻōʻō, the traditional digging sticks. According to Arita Poulson General Contracting's announcement, the general contractor expects actual construction to begin Oct. 19 and take about 18 months.
"Our homeowners have been through a lot over the past three years, and today they can finally see their homes starting to come back," said Thomas Ravey, president of the Association of Apartment Owners of Lahaina Residential and a homeowner there for 30 years. "We are grateful to the County and our project team for helping us reach this moment and for their work ahead."
Same size, tougher buildings
Lahaina Residential was built in 1979: six two-story buildings that were home to local Maui residents. The rebuild puts those six buildings back at their original size and layout, so folks are coming home to the same community, not a new one.
What's different is what the buildings are made of and how the land around them is handled. The contractor lists fire-resistant siding and roofing, defensible space and fire-safe landscaping, native plants that use less water, low-flow plumbing fixtures and the infrastructure for future electric vehicle chargers.
Anybody who's worked a rebuild knows that "same size, same layout" doesn't mean "same job." Fire-resistant cladding and roofing have their own installation details, defensible space changes how close plantings can come to the walls, and running conduit for future EV chargers is a lot cheaper now than cutting it in later.
There's one more wrinkle. The property sits inside the Lahaina Historic District, right next to the historic U.S. Marine Hospital, also called Seaman's Hospital. The project team worked with County of Maui historic representatives on exterior materials and design details meant to complement the hospital and the historic Front Street view corridor. On a job like that, every exterior choice gets a close look.
Who's building it
Arita Poulson will oversee all of the rebuilding and deliver all 60 homes. The company was founded on Maui in 1986 by two carpenters, Daryl Arita and Bob Poulson, and builds commercial and multifamily projects around the islands. It's part of the Goodfellow Brothers family of companies, which helped care for Lahaina's banyan tree during the August 2023 emergency response, helped with debris removal and supported the temporary housing and temporary King Kamehameha III Elementary School campus.
"Arita Poulson started on Maui over 40 years ago, and these homes will be built by local hands, people who understand what this community has gone through," said Shannon Robinson, the company's controller. "Our work will be guided by a deep respect for this place and the people who have been waiting to come home."
The rest of the team includes Michael Wright & Associates Inc., Kasprzycki Designs, Martin & Martin, Island Geotechnical and Scientific Consultant Services Inc. The property is managed by JS Property Management Inc.
"Housing is the foundation of our recovery," Bissen said. He called the project, "built by local workers for local families," a milestone worth celebrating.
Sixty homes is a solid chunk of housing for any town, and in Lahaina it's 60 families with a real date to look forward to. Maui Now's report on the groundbreaking carried the same timeline: work starting Oct. 19 and about 18 months to finish.
For the folks doing the work, an 18-month schedule on six two-story buildings in a historic district, with fire-hardening requirements built in, is a job that rewards crews who plan ahead and communicate well with the owners. These homeowners have waited three years. They're going to be watching every step.
Why it matters for Contractors
The Lahaina Residential rebuild is a preview of the kind of work West Maui needs a lot more of: multifamily rebuilds on old footprints, with fire-resistant materials, defensible-space landscaping and historic district review layered on top. Framers, roofers, siding installers, plumbers, electricians, landscapers and finish trades who get comfortable with those requirements now will be in a good position for the rebuilds still to come. Arita Poulson is the general contractor here, so local subs looking for a piece of this job, or the next one, should be talking with them. And with the Goodfellow Brothers family of companies already deep in Lahaina's recovery, it's worth knowing who's who on that team.