A long-awaited fire station in Olowalu that would serve as a critical emergency hub between West and Central Maui received unanimous approval Tuesday for a key special use permit.
The Maui Planning Commission voted 7-0 in support of the county permit that moves forward the privately funded fire station project on donated land. This vote comes nearly three years after the devastating 2023 wildfire destroyed most of nearby Lahaina town and killed at least 102 people.
“I’ve got some emotional ties to this project,” said Joe Pluta, who’s spent years pushing for the station even before he lost his home in the 2023 wildfires. “From what happened to me in person and what I experienced, I saw we need more than just this. But this is something. This is going to help.”

Pluta is president of the nonprofit West Maui Improvement Foundation, which is spearheading the Olowalu fire station project that it hopes could be operational later this year. 

In 2022, the Maui Fire Department chose the strategic location between the Lahaina and Wailuku fire stations, each about 9 miles away. The Olowalu fire station also would cover an area where residential development has grown over the past decade.

“Olowalu does have a history of wildfires and this station would help reduce response times in emergency situations,” planning consultant Eric Pachowicz of Munekiyo Hiraga said. “Especially if you’re having issues on highways or with access, this would be right in the middle of both of those stations.”

The construction could move quickly, with a 2,056-square-foot modular building serving as the fire station on a 2-acre vacant lot on Luawai Street, mauka of Honoapi‘ilani Highway. It would be capable of housing up to five firefighters, with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, living space, gear storage and a fire engine bay, according to project documents. Nine parking stalls also would be included on site. 
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The $3 million project was fully funded as of last year, but now it’s just short of its goals after recent Trump Administration tariffs increased costs by more than $211,000, the foundation said during a groundbreaking for the project in March. The land, owned by developer Peter Martin, and fire station will be donated to the county once it’s completed. 

The idea for the fire station dates to August 2018 when a passing hurricane led to a wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed more than two dozen homes and displaced longtime families in Kaua‘ula Valley. Realizing how “dangerously close” the fire had come to destroying Lahaina, West Maui community members got together to explore solutions, recalled Rick Nava, vice president of the West Maui Improvement Foundation and executive director of the West Maui Taxpayers Association.
Nava took his grandson to meet with Martin to ask if he would be willing to donate land for a fire station. Martin agreed, donating more than 4 acres. The foundation then started raising funds for the project. 
For years efforts stalled, in part because iwi kūpuna, or ancestral bones, were found in the same subdivision but not on the land donated for the fire station. Maui County officials issued a stop-work order in the Olowalu Mauka Subdivision in April 2023.
The State Historic Preservation Division has approved the project’s archaeological monitoring plan for any remains found on the site, Munekiyo Hiraga president Karlynn Fukuda said Tuesday.
In a November letter, the state division said the permit process could move forward. It also approved a request to lift the stop-work order in June of last year. 
The 2023 Lahaina wildfire that killed at least 102 people also proved critical in pushing the project to the finish line. With the community eager to prevent another tragedy, monetary donations flowed in and Maui County expedited permits.
“This project represents proactive and community-driven investment in public safety and will help ensure more resilient and secure future for West Maui,” Nava said.
​

Nestled in a valley surrounded by dry brush and open land, Olowalu has also been prone to fire, with notable blazes in the last few years including a 200-acre brush fire in August 2018 and a 120-acre brush fire in June 2023, just two months before the Lahaina fire.

In addition to increasing resources in a fire-prone area, the Olowalu fire station also would decrease response times and increase the survival odds of people in emergencies, said Dennis Terpen, a Lahaina resident, board member of the association, and retired firefighter and paramedic.

“I can tell you and share personal experiences where one, two or three minutes makes the difference between life and death,” Terpen told the commission on Tuesday. “A fire, flashover, cardiac arrest, drowning in the ocean. You have the opportunity today … to save 15 minutes or more.”

Twenty-six years ago, the West Maui Improvement Foundation raised $4 million to build the Nāpili fire station and donate it to the county, which “saved countless lives and helped countless number of people,” Pluta said. 

The Olawalu project would be the third fire station in West Maui.

“I’ve been here long enough to know when you do something good, they say ‘hana hou,’ one more time, right?” Pluta said. “So we thought, oh gosh, after the 2018 fires, we had to do something, because Lahaina almost went up then.”
​
Pluta moved to Maui in 1979 and “lost my home and everything I owned for 47 years overnight” during the 2023 wildfire. 

As fire survivors, both Pluta and Nava are eager to see the project completed. 

The project has a county-approved grading permit and has also submitted an application for a building permit. It has also received state approval for an individual wastewater system.

Pachowicz noted that the Department of Transportation raised concerns about ongoing plans to move Honoapi‘ilani Highway mauka and develop the vulnerable coastal area into a greenway. However, Pachowicz said the foundation still wants to move forward with the fire station project.

“It is critical infrastructure to not only protect agricultural uses but also people and businesses and homes that may be in the area, and putting off this project longer to coordinate with projects that don’t exactly have a defined implementation date would not be in the best interest of the applicant,” Pachowicz said.

​He added that “the fire station is not proposed to be in direct conflict with any future plans of where the roadway might be relocated” and that the plan is to coordinate with the state to make sure the fire station has easy access to the relocated highway. A modular structure could also be moved more easily than a traditional building if needed, he pointed out. 

Maui Fire Department Chief Brad Ventura said because the fire station would be built out of two separate modules, there would be the potential to add more sleeping quarters, office space or an additional bay. 

“The modular station does have probably a shorter lifespan than brick and mortar, so we’ll be obviously watching and maintaining it closely over the next couple of decades to see, especially near the coastline, how it’s doing,” Ventura said. “And then it’ll be determined … if we’re going to build brick and mortar in the future on the same property or just be able to add on to the current module.”
​
He said there are no plans to put a helipad at the site, but the department does have the ability to land helicopters for emergencies through other means, such as closing the road.

Source: MauiNow.com (Colleen Uechi) / April 15, 2026

WMTA – WMIF COMMUNITY – OLOWALU FIRE STATION BREAKS GROUND ON 3-20-2026.

 Aloha Dear friends of West Maui

Recently, on the morning of Friday, March 20th, the WMIF held a special VIP groundbreaking ceremony for the Olowalu Fire Station during the Kona Low storm. Once again, we experienced something miraculous. At 8:30 a.m. when the event started; the rain and wind stopped, and it became beautiful weather. After the awesome conch shell ceremony and pule by Pastor Laki Kaahumanu, the speeches made by Mayor Richard Bissen and MFD Fire Chief Bradford Ventura were spectacularly Inspirational.

The Mayor proclaimed Friday, March 20th,  2026, as “Olowalu Fire Station Groundbreaking day;” and read a special proclamation accordingly. The proclamation recognized the generous land donation to WMIF by Olowalu Homes Inc and Peter Martin for the future station at the site location that was selected by the fire chief in 2022.

We will never forget the weather becoming calm and peaceful for our event and the flock of Nene Geese flying in a V formation directly overhead during the speech made by MFD Fire Chief Ventura. A simply Awesome Blessing

We are also profoundly grateful to our major donors, including the Bezos Family Foundation, the Arrillaga Ohana, and the Dell Foundation. Your investment in this project is an investment in human life, in safety, in protecting our irreplaceable environment and in community resilience. And to our local supporters—individuals, families, and businesses—your commitment reflects the very spirit of aloha that defines Maui. This station belongs to all of you.

As we stand here today, we honor not only what we are building, why we are building it. We are creating a safer future for our keiki, our kupuna, and generations to come. On behalf of the Maui Fire Department, mahalo for your trust.”

Now is the time to satisfy this need to save lives. While it seems we have enough funds to move forward, new tariffs have increased our costs by over $211,000.00. Have you made a financial donation?  Why not do that today!  There simply is not any better way to help Lahaina than this! Please help. We urge everyone who wants to help Lahaina that this is the way!

See www.wmifinc.org

​Malama Pono ame Mahalo,
Joseph Pluta
President
West Maui Improvement Foundation Inc. IRS 501-c-3 Charity       ​

Aloha Dear Friends of West Maui:
 
Please find enclosed the following with this Olowalu Fire Station Update:
 
OLOWALU FIRE STATION FLYER-INSURANCE
 
Statement by Mahealani Strong-Managing Agent-Insurance Associates Maui Inc.:
“Insurance premiums are calculated by balancing the estimated value of your property with the risk to insure it.  The distance from a Fire Station determines your “Protection Class”; the risk.  Lahaina town runs at a Class 5 whereas anything south of Launiupoko Beach Park all the way to Ma’alaea is Class 10. Home and Commercial Buildings included.
 
I have an insured paying $12,000 annually for his home insurance.  If I just changed his Class from 10 to 5, his rate drops to $8,000.  Now that he is a Class 5, I can use a different carrier that wouldn’t accept him as a Class 10.  The new Carrier quoted his home at $6,000.  Imagine saving $6,000 a year…every year!
 
Everyone wants to save money, but imagine the lives saved and the heartache of having to replace your home while cleaning up the debris from the memories you shared there?”
 
DONATION AND PLEDGE AGREEMENT
 
Launiupoko Property Owners, The Yarnolds, Pledge $100,000 towards development for Olowalu Fire Station initiative. Now they have been matched by property owners The Leffingwells who also pledged $100,000. That’s $200K in pledges. (With 18 more matching this, we will have the $2M needed. Now …this is exciting…Please join them!)
 
“We love living in Launiupoko and are delighted to see the WMIF’s program to privately fund and develop a badly needed fire station in our area.  We’ve decided to make a significant conditional pledge to support this effort. The past few years we have witnessed wildfires in our area, and the ongoing risks we face will continue without better proximity to fire protection as proposed by the WMIF. Their track record at Napili is an unprecedented success, and the opportunity to bring a state-of-the-art fire station to our area is one we should all embrace. 
 
A new fire station will reduce response times to the fires we see frequently in our area and should have the added impact of reducing the cost of our homeowner’s insurance.  By making this pledge contingent upon the fire station becoming operational we give the WMIF the ability to borrow funds and get this project done.  We ask you to make similar conditional pledges and join us in making this new fire station a reality.”--Dave and Adrienne Yarnold  --“We agree completely”—Dean and Becky Leffingwell.
 
 
NOW IS THE TIME TO BE PROACTIVE IN A HANA HOU MIRACLE IN PROCESS!  SEND YOUR PLEDGE AGREEMENT IN TODAY!  YOU HAVE AN UNPRECEDENTED OPPORTUNITY!
 
Please call me if you have any questions at 808-661-7990 or on my cell phone 808-283-4533.
 
Mahalo,
 
Joseph D Pluta, President, WMIF

Please find the following exciting updates on our ongoing successes in making the Olowalu Fire Station, (OFS), become a lifesaving reality.

1. SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30TH-2023 WESTIN MAUI HOTEL AND SPA 2ND GALA  
2. CONDITONAL PLEDGE INTENT FORM

We are excited to report that we have made arrangements with the Westin Maui Resort and Spa at Kaanapali to use their facilities for our next major Olowalu Fire Station Fundraising Gala. They just completed a $100 Million Property Enhancement and wanted us to benefit from using their highly upgraded Aloha Pavilion dining and entertainment area.

We will be sending invitations and details in the very near future. Save the date now and monitor our website at www.wmifinc.org for more information. We are actively seeking sponsorships. Please let us know if you are interested.

While it is clear that we almost lost Lahaina Town to fires originating at Olowalu several times, we were fortunate this past December because the wind was blowing in a direction away from town while it spread over 2000 acres and stayed mostly in the mountain area above us.  We may not be so lucky next time and hurricane season is rapidly approaching to potentially complicate matters.
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It's also clear that the property owners residing within 5 miles of our Olowalu Fire Station have the very most to gain from this added safety facility with lowering of insurance premiums; currently at the very highest at Fire Protection Class 10. (FPC10).  We have learned from the Hawaii Insurance Rating Bureau that up to 50% reduction in Property Insurance Risk and premium protection costs will occur once the Olowalu Fire Station is in operation for 6 months with a new FPC5 rating! That literally means that the 600 homes in the area can save thousands of dollars in reduced insurance premiums annually. That’s what happened in Napili and Kahana and Kapalua and will be enjoyed by Launiopoko, Makila Ukumehame, and Olowalu property owners.

​While fundraising Gala’s are wonderful, a meaningful conditional pledge from property owners is perhaps the most significant for securing financing of the OFS.  Pledging is a common practice in the banking industry. Laws and regulations regulate it to ensure fairness and transparency for both the borrower and the lender. It’s “Out of the Box” thinking that makes so much sense for our ultimate success. There is absolutely no risk making known your intention to commit to a conditional pledge. And, the pledge funds can be from Savings in Costs that keep paying dividends beyond what the pledge amount may be.

Please help us help you. We are hard at work securing necessary land use entitlements with project engineers and consultants.  The very least we ask of you is send us your conditional pledge commitment by downloading & completing this form, and mailing to PO Box 10338, Lahaina, HI 96761.
​

​And/Or, if you haven’t already done so, please be a part of the solution and send your best gift donation to the WMIF today. You will be glad you did. Please call me personally on my cell 808-283-4533 if I can respond to any questions. 

Warm Regards, 
Joseph Pluta, President

The nonprofit West Maui Taxpayers Association has been an influential force in supporting a number of public improvement projects in West Maui since its inception in 1979, including the West Maui Senior Center at Lahainaluna Road and the Lahaina Bypass.
As a volunteer board member and now president of the organization representing more than 2,000 members, Joseph Pluta strives to make sure West Maui gets its fair share of improvements while striving to keep taxes reasonably equitable.
With assistance of his other board members, he has successfully supported the development of the Lahaina Aquatic Center, obtained a million dollar grant for matching federal and county funds for the creation of the Lahaina Skateboard Park, and successfully lobbyied for state funding to keep affordable housing at Front Street Apartments, where some 250 tenants faced eviction.
The Association has also helped to raise millions of dollars in private funds to develop the Nāpili Fire and Ambulance Station, handing over the facility as a gift to Maui County.
Maui Now writer Gary Kubota interviewed Pluta who has served as the association’s president for the past six years.

As a board member and then president of the West Maui Taxpayers Association, Joseph Pluta has had his hand in a number of projects, supporting the residents in West Maui, including the Lahaina Aquatics Center, the first county olympic swimming pool on Maui. He’s helped in funding a skateboard park as well as the Napili Fire and Ambulance Station.Maui Now: A People Of Maui InterviewKUBOTA: What lies ahead?

​PLUTA: We are working on a Hana Hou repeat of private funding to develop our second fire station, this time at Olowalu. We already have a donation pledge of two acres of land from the landowner, Olowalu Homes Inc.
KUBOTA: What’s happening to your Association’s hope to develop the first hospital in West Maui?
PLUTA: After receiving support from the Kāʻanapali 2020 Planning Committee and a 15-acre land donation, we successfully obtained the “Certificate of Need” for the West Maui Hospital from the state Health Planning and Development Agency. This process was in conjunction with plans by the Newport Hospital Corporation and its president Brian Hoyle. Mr. Hoyle subsequently formed the nonprofit West Maui Hospital Foundation, an entity driving the modified project forward after many years of seeking financing for the project. We understand that a multi-million dollar special purpose revenue bond issuance will permit a modified West Maui Hospital to become a reality when secured.

As a move to develop a new county fire station at Olowalu, Pluta has been working with members of the West Maui Improvement Foundation to raise development funds for it, including this entertainment and dancing event in January.KUBOTA: How important is it to have a hospital and/or air ambulance in West Maui?
PLUTA: Health and Safety is our highest priority. On any given day, the lack of a hospital in West Maui places 80,000 people at severe risk. They’re more than one hour away from our only 24/7 Acute Care Emergency Medical Services at Maui Memorial Health in Wailuku. Lives are lost and tragic medical outcomes result because of this inability of residents to receive timely, acute care within the “golden hour.” We’re looking for equitable, humane care for residents and visitors to West Maui, where more than 50% of the county and state income on Maui is derived from taxes.
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADKUBOTA: What’s the status of the application for a cancer center in West Maui?
PLUTA: The Association is also supporting a state Certificate of Need application for a Maui Cancer Center in Lahaina, where cancer patients can be treated conveniently and without travel hardship in West Maui.
KUBOTA: What’s happening with the coastal erosion problem faced by the nine condominiums at Kahana Bay?

The West Maui Taxpayers Association supports owners of nine condominiums at Kahana Bay to establish a “Community Facilities District,” enabling restoration and stabilization of the beach through county bonds. The bonds would be repaid through special taxes levied upon property owners within the District.PLUTA: We’re supporting the Kahana Bay Steering Committee’s effort to raise money for beach restoration and stabilization. The Committee wants the county to designate Kahana Bay as a “Community Facilities District,” enabling funding of restoration and stabilization through county bonds. The bonds are repaid through special taxes levied upon property owners within the district. The Maui County Council has to work with the county administration to officially authorize this “Community Facilities District” which will enable necessary financing for the Kahana Bay Restoration. These nine condominium properties are valued at over a billion dollars with tremendous tax assessment income to the county government. We need to preserve and protect the tax base at Kahana Bay which will pay for this restoration and benefit everyone with improved beach access and enjoyment. T-groins have been recommended by experts in studies, and we fully support them as the most beneficial to all concerned.
KUBOTA: Any other projects you’re supporting?
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ADPLUTA: We are supporting the extension of the Lahaina Bypass North to Kāʻanapali. The current Keawe Street terminus is a disaster, overburdening a county connector Road. We’re also seeking a relaxation of certain infrastructural improvements in the development of housing for workers. It is essential that the county and state recognize investing in the infrastructure associated with proposed housing developments to enable them to be truly affordable.
KUBOTA: How important is providing workforce housing in West Maui?
PLUTA: More than 7,000 workers travel on Honoapiʻilani Highway daily to work in West Maui. The average West Maui worker spends three extra hours a day simply getting to and from work. The lack of housing has gotten to the point that businesses on the West side cannot obtain the workers they need and are closing or reducing services.
KUBOTA: Any ideas on what’s could contribute to a housing solution?
PLUTA: The county and state-owned lands need to be utilized and also in public-private partnerships to realize and participate in addressing the economic realities of housing costs.
KUBOTA: What are you most proud of in terms of your association’s accomplishments?
PLUTA: I have been a part of miracles that have saved lives literally. I am most proud of the Nāpili Fire and Ambulance Station, which we privately funded and gifted to the County of Maui.

West Maui Taxpayer Association supporters at a meeting.KUBOTA: How did you come about living and settling in West Maui?
PLUTA: My first job on Maui was to be the general manager of the Papakea Resort in 1979. During my first year on Maui residing here, I fell in love with the island and its people and wanted to make this my permanent home and raise my family here.
Maui is heaven on earth.