The County’s new Recovery Permitting Center is slated to open April 29, 2024, in Kahului, and a satellite location is in the works for Lahaina, the County of Maui announced Saturday.

4LEAF Inc. has been awarded the County contract to operate the soon-to-open center, which will have its primary location at the Maui County Service Center, 110 Alaihi St., Kahului.

At the center, representatives from 4LEAF will be available to assist residents with the process of applying for Disaster Recovery Building Permits for alterations, repairs, reconstruction and new construction of structures in areas affected by the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

“Bringing 4LEAF on board to run operations at our Recovery Permitting Center gives the County the capacity needed to support our residents and businesses as they rebuild,” Director of Public Works Jordan Molina said. “Their years of experience helping other communities navigate through the difficult process of rebuilding following fire disasters makes 4LEAF an invaluable partner in Maui’s path to recovery.”

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., 4LEAF Inc. is a professional Development Services Firm specializing in Fire Recovery Services. Over the past several years, 4LEAF has implemented fire recovery permitting programs for several counties and municipalities including the California’s County of Sonoma, Town of Paradise and County of Santa Cruz, along with Oregon’s Jackson County.

The largest of those programs was a $9.5 billion fire recovery project in Paradise after the town’s 2018 wildfire that had been the deadliest in the United States in nearly 100 years until it was surpassed by last year’s devastating Lahaina wildfire. 4LEAF provided complete Community Development Services to the town for the first four years of the recovery project, which included 12,000 residential units, 400 commercial structures, and 3,000 accessory structures.

“We are pleased to be selected to stand alongside the resilient communities of Lahaina and Kula during their time of need,” said Michael Renner, 4LEAF’s Project Manager. “This responsibility is one we accept with the utmost humility and a profound sense of duty.”

Renner has headed all of 4LEAF’s four prior fire recovery programs. Among those joining Renner will be Maui’s Shaina Hipolito and Kaʻiawe Chun.

“Shaina and Kaʻiawe are both very proud to serve their community,” Renner said. “We will be the first point of contact with the public and will manage the expediting of permits.”

For more information on 4LEAF, Inc., visit www.4leafinc.com.

In addition to the Kahului Recovery Permitting Center, a satellite office is being planned for Lahaina Gateway Center. The opening date for the Lahaina Gateway location will be announced at a later date.

The opening of the Recovery Permitting Center comes after the County of Maui also recently launched a dedicated Housing section on MauiRecovers.org aimed at providing critical assistance to homeowners and renters impacted by the wildfires.

The newly unveiled platform, accessible at www.MauiRecovers.org/housing, offers a comprehensive array of resources tailored to address the housing needs of individuals and families navigating the aftermath of the disaster. On the webpage, fire survivors can find information on temporary housing programs, as well as resources regarding construction of temporary units and permanent housing in wildfire-affected areas.

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