A Maui beachfront condominium is facing the stark reality of beach erosion. The popular vacation rental spot has some locals advocating for removal of the building to restore public beach access.
The six-building, 79-unit Kahana Sunset was built in Lahaina in 1971 and fronts Keonenui Bay, a small protective cove.
At the time of construction, Kahana Sunset’s Building F was 15 feet away from the shoreline — in 2014, the building was only eight.
Owners of units in Building F haven’t been allowed to return or rent out their units since fall 2020 when engineers said the foundation wasn’t stable due to the pounding of waves over time.
David Sheffields’ family has had a condo in Building F of Kahana Sunset since the late 70s. Every year since his childhood, his Washington state-based family has been visiting Maui. He said they’re still paying condo fees, despite not being able to return to their unit in Kahana Sunset anymore.
Learn more: Best travel insurance
“It’s horrible, especially when it’s been part of our lives for so long,” he said.
More:Fodor’s Travel put Maui on its ‘No List’ of places tourists may want to avoid in 2023. Here’s why.
In 2022, Maui County officials recommended Kahana Sunset “accept reality and put this pro-active shoreline planning to a test” by considering demolishing Building F and its seawall.
Sheffields admitted that eventually, removing the building will be the reality but hopefully it wouldn’t have to happen so soon. “It would be nice to repair the building,” he said, adding that it feels like “nobody wants to make a decision” or “has a real idea of what a plan looks like.”
“We’re just a bunch of people who want to go back to our condos and live on our property and enjoy it for what it is,” Sheffields said.
“Shoreline change statewide is dominated by erosion,” Tara Owens, a coastal processes and hazards specialist for the University of Hawaii Sea Grant College Program, told USA TODAY via email. Out of all the Hawaiian islands, Maui is facing the most erosion – data indicates that 85% of Maui’s beaches are experiencing long-term erosion.
West Maui, where the Kahana Sunset resides, has been heavily impacted by high waves and erosion, according to Owens. “Roughly 14% of West Maui beaches have been completely lost to erosion, and many more beaches in the region are substantially narrowing,” she said.
Seawalls, one of which came up around the Kahana Sunset in 2007, have also been known to exacerbate erosion and beach loss, she added.
Maui residents have complained the building has been blocking beach access to Keonenui Bay – the only public path to the bay goes straight into the ocean, according to local media outlet Hawaii News Now. All beaches in Hawaii are public, but some say that isn’t how it feels with Keonenui Bay.
“The beach has been slowly going away,” Sheffields said. “I remember as a kid I used to step out of the unit and hop over the wall and now it’s a 20-foot drop to the beach.”
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com
