An artist’s rendering shows the planned ʻUlu o Lele outdoor marketplace on Front Street in Lahaina. Local officials say the marketplace is a way to bring storefronts and community programming back to Front Street. Photo courtesy Hawaiian Council

Plans for a new outdoor marketplace on Front Street in Lahaina are bringing hope to local business owners as Maui County officials and nonprofit partners look to revive commercial activity lost in the 2023 wildfire.

“Hope” was a recurring theme at Thursday’s news conference featuring Lahaina business owner Courtney Lazo, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen and Hawaiian Council CEO Kūhiō Lewis unveiling the creation of ‘Ulu o Lele (Growth of Lele).

The new marketplace, which draws its name from Lahaina’s traditional name, “Malu ‘Ulu o Lele,” is being spearheaded by the Hawaiian Council with $4 million in support from the Hawaii Community Foundation.

Lewis said the new outdoor marketplace, which is planned for the site on Front Street that used to house the Outlets of Maui, represents an $8 million investment that, once complete, will feature 17 retail units varying in size from 144 to 240 square feet, as well as eight food trucks and a stage for nightly entertainment.

Rent for the units will range from $800 to $1,500 a month depending on the size, and the units will be available to business owners affected by the 2023 wildfire. Lewis said the units will be rented on an interim basis to allow new businesses to regularly rotate into the marketplace.

A rendering shows the planned layout of ʻUlu o Lele, an outdoor marketplace planned for the former Outlets of Maui site on Front Street in Lahaina. Photo courtesy Hawaiian Council

Born and raised in Lahaina, Lazo is a local business owner who said ‘Ulu o Lele represents hope for her and others like her.

“When we heard about this amazing project, for me as a community member, it got me really excited, and I think it’s something really exciting for our community,” she said.

The units will all have solar power, and Lewis said they are being designed to reflect the feel and character of Lahaina. He said this project “didn’t come from a board room — it came from the community.”

The Hawaiian Council is leading planning and development of the project, and has secured a two-year lease for the roughly 3-acre site.

Lewis said the goal of the new marketplace is to create opportunities for local businesses and organizations with money donated to the fire relief effort.

‘Ulu o Lele is expected to open this fall, and officials said it should help to sustain about 90 jobs. A request for proposals seeking interested vendors is expected to be issued soon.

“Telling the stories of Lahaina, bringing those to life, is going to be an important part of this marketplace,” Lewis said. “It’s not just a marketplace; it’s intended to be something that tells the story of the people of Lahaina in a positive way. Whether it’s a shuttle bus coming over from Ka’anapali, the stories that they’ll hear as they’re making their way to this marketplace will all be part of that vision.”

According to the county, ʻUlu o Lele is the first project to bring storefronts back to Front Street, and it will provide an interim home for local businesses, nonprofit organizations, cultural practitioners, farmers and community programming while permanent commercial redevelopment progresses.

Lahaina business owner Courtney Lazo speaks Thursday during a news conference announcing plans for the ʻUlu o Lele outdoor marketplace on Front Street. Photo by Eli Pace/The Maui News

Affordable rent

For Lazo, being a local business owner comes with a unique perspective, knowing what it takes to set up shop and take it down, and the feeling of community and camaraderie she’s shared with other small-business owners working beside her.

She also knows it can be tough to make it, and Lazo sees ‘Ulu o Lele as a springboard to help new businesses establish themselves.

“I think that for a lot of us, with rebuilding Lahaina, you don’t think that you have an opportunity to have a brick-and-mortar in your own hometown because rents are so crazy,” she said.

Lazo continued by saying that having an affordable rent will help residents be able “to afford to stay here and feel like they are truly a part of this community, especially in the commercial district.”

Lazo said she envisions ‘Ulu o Lele as a place where families can gather, share stories and connect, much like the way things were in the stories she hears about how Lahaina used to be in the past.

“For me, when I see this project, that’s what I think of,” she said. “I think of ‘Can we go back to that village and that sense of community where we can see each other and catch up for a meal, and listen to ono music, and support local businesses?’ Having this project be led from the community and government-supported, and Hawaiian Council come in and really listening to the needs of the business community, is really special.”

An artist’s rendering shows an overhead view of the planned ʻUlu o Lele marketplace on Front Street in Lahaina. Photo courtesy Hawaiian Council

Reviving business activity

Bissen described ‘Ulu o Lele as another important piece in Lahaina’s recovery, but he said it was only one piece of many.

In February 2025, all fire debris was cleared from commercial properties. In April 2025, 237 concrete pilings along Front Street, totaling about 500 tons, were removed ahead of schedule as part of the ongoing recovery work involving county, state and federal partners.

In another step toward restoring economic activity, limited commercial boating operations resumed at Lahaina Small Boat Harbor in December 2025 for the first time since the August 2023 wildfire.

A $5 million maintenance dredging project at the harbor began this June and is expected to wrap up next December.

Work is also progressing at county parking lots and on the Royal Complex Master Plan, which will create a long-term framework for restoring Lahaina’s historic Luaʻehu area, including Mokuʻula, Loko o Mokuhinia, Pākalā and Loko o Nālehu.

“As you can see the cumulative amount of properties that have activity and are moving forward — individually, it might seem like they’re just one-offs — but collectively there’s a lot of momentum,” Maui County Deputy Managing Director Erin Wade said.

This map shows the status of rebuilding commercial properties in Lahaina. Photo courtesy Maui County

On Wednesday, Maui County leaders joined residents for a blessing of Maui County’s Front Street Railing and Walkway Project. The project repaired sidewalks, replaced railings and added light poles, benches, bike racks and landscaping along portions of Front Street.

Talking about Front Street, Wade said five commercial permits have been issued for the properties at 612, 632, 714, 724 and 744 Front St., and one property is under construction. There are two commercial properties in process and more than 12 in pre-application consultation.

Wade said the five properties that have received permits are all coming back identical or closely resembling how they were before the fire.

“While it might be behind the scenes at the moment, all of these projects are moving forward and in keeping with what the community’s hopes and expectations were, and there’s a lot more to come in the near future,” Wade said.

The five properties include the Six Fathoms building with space for six tenants, as well as what people know as “the Burger King” that housed Paia Fish Market, which is coming back as the same business and keeping with the same look and feel, as are the ABC Store and Fleetwood’s on Front St.

A rendering shows restoration plans for 744 Front St. in Lahaina. The building was known to many people as Fleetwood’s. Photo courtesy Maui County

“We’re so grateful that that property owner has committed to the history of Lahaina by engaging to restore it,” Wade said of Fleetwood’s after calling that permit “the most complicated currently in the queue” due to the historic preservation requirements.

County officials said permitting and approvals in the Lahaina Historic districts have been one of the most heavily regulated processes in the state, involving national, state and local rules.

A rendering shows restoration plans for 612 Front St. in Lahaina, the Six Fathoms building, with an image of the building before the 2023 wildfire. Photo courtesy Maui County

A rendering shows restoration plans for 632 Front St. in Lahaina, including a reference image of the building before the 2023 wildfire. Photo courtesy Maui County

A rendering shows restoration plans for 714 Front St. in Lahaina, including a reference image of the building before the 2023 wildfire. Photo courtesy Maui County

A rendering shows designs for 724 Front St. in Lahaina, where the ABC Store building is planned to return with a similar look and feel. Photo courtesy Maui County