Olowalu: The Road to Resilience Final Co-Design Presentation Materials by University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center

OLOWALU: THE ROAD TO RESILIENCE

The upcoming Honoapi ! ilani Highway realignment provides a unique opportunity for your input on the future of the Olowalu and Ukumehame coastal corridor that reﬂects ! ike kupuna, nature-based solutions, and community priorities.

FINAL ROUND OF CO-DESIGN COMMUNITY MEETING

Agenda

Welcome and introductions

Project context

Overview

Goals and structure

Engagement results

Draft design concepts

Menti Co-design activities

Wrap up discussion

Building Resilience in Olowalu

and

© Drew Sulock

© Manuel Meija

Who we are

Our Mission:

To conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends

I ola ka ʻāina, i ola mākou nei

Working together to build resilience - m auka to m akai

ʻA ʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia

© Drew Sulock

A Unique Opportunity to Look Ahead and Plan Together for Coastal Resilience

Collective Coastal Vision Shaped By…

Opportunities to Adapt to Coastal Threats and Hazards

• Nature-based Solutions

• Biocultural Practices

• Multi-functional ecological approaches

• Working mauka to makai, connecting wai

• Wetlands and upland native forest reforestation

Ukumehame Wetlands with ʻaeʻo, January 2024

Coastal Impacts of Sea -Level Rise

• Projected to increase

• 1.1 feet by 2045

• 3.2 feet by 2075

• High erosion rates, impacts to the road, common flooding prompting need for realignment

• Portions of existing highway are considered low adaptation and must be eventually be decommissioned

• Traffic Emergency Zone at MM 14.5, highest rate of erosion and a sign of things to come

© Tamara Farnsworth

Eroded highway at Mōpua, near MM 14.5, October 2025

Adaptation for High Risk Areas

Highway Analysis and Adaptation Study – w/ Tetratech

• Explore nature-based and hybrid solutions to protect eroding shoreline over 5-20 years

• Prioritize areas at highest risk

• SLRXA + high CRESI values

• Provide insight to state and county agencies as alternatives to shoreline hardening

• Address immediate needs in ways that can adapt to long-term initiatives

Dunes Enhancement Demonstration Project

Ukumehame Beach Park Case Study

— w/ UH Sea Grant/UH Hilo

• Small-scale pilot in area of high erosion risk

• Using native plants to e nhance natural processes of sand accretion

• Taking initial steps to support implementation of living shorelines

Beach Park, August 2025

Ukumehame

Valuing Community Input to Shape Co-Designs

• Reflecting and incorporating community values and concerns

• Stakeholder input – inclusion and gaining support

• Combining place -based knowledge with community input leads to useful design proposals

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

Addressing values and concerns such as:

• Green spaces and conservation

• Protection of cultural and archaeological sites

• Protection of ocean resources

• Parking and shoreline access

• Public recreation

• Open space management

• Safety and traffic concerns

Who

is the University of Hawai! i Community Design Center (UHCDC)?

We are a collective of University of Hawai’i at Mānoa faculty, staff, and allied professionals across university departments and disciplines, assisted by student interns and recent graduates. UHCDC provides a platform for learning and professional development opportunities for students.

We work at the intersection of university, government, non-proﬁts, and community stakeholders, gathering diverse perspectives to deﬁne and inform projects that serve the public.

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

What We Do

We provide PROOF OF CONCEPT engagement, research, planning, and design services, a pre-procurement scope of work that typically happens AHEAD of the professional design team.

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

What is Olowalu: The Road to Resilience?

The planned Honoapi! ilani Highway realignment provides opportunities to re-imagine the Olowalu-Ukumehame coastal corridor by incorporating park spaces, traditional biocultural practices, and nature-based solutions. This project aims to strengthen coastal ecosystems, reduce pressures on the OlowaluUkumehame reef system, and improve resilience to help the area adapt to climate change effects, including sea level rise.

TNC Team:

Tamara Farnsworth, Coastal Resilience Project Manager

Dr. Kim Falinski, Coastal & Estuarine Scientist

Scott Crawford, Maui Marine Program Director

Emily Fielding, Hawai’i Marine Conservation Director

Nalei Sampson, Maui Marine Project Coordinator

UHCDC Team:

Judith Stilgenbauer, FASLA, Principal Investigator and Professor, School of Architecture

Xavier Duarte, Research Associate

Kaimana Tuazon, Project Designer

Emily Sobolewski Knight, ASLA, Research Associate

Student Assistants: Sierra Spears, Dersel Bonai, Zoë Angelopulo, Sarah Obra-Nakata, Kenny Morrow

Facilitators:

‘A‘ali‘i Alliance

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

Current Sea-Level Rise Impacts

Design Timescale - Deﬁnition of “Near Term” and “Long Term”

Near Term and Long Term

1.1-ft Sea-Level Rise Exposure Area

Approximately 2045

Adapted from: Paciﬁc Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS)sea-level rise data (September, 2024)

3.2-ft Sea-Level Rise Exposure Area

Approximately 2075

Adapted from: Paciﬁc Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS)sea-level rise data (September, 2024)

Project Goals

Design Approach

PROJECT GOALS MAP LAYERS

PLACE & COMMUNITY

• Public and private landowners

• Ocean recreation

• Parcels / TMK

• Roads and circulation

• Wahi Pana / Hawaiian placenames

ECOLOGY & HABITAT

CLIMATE & HAZARDS

• Wetlands & potential wetlands

• Hydrology (streams and ditches)

• Forest reserves

• Benthic habitat and reef footprint

• Sea walls

COMMUNITY FEEDBACK

• Sea-level rise exposure area (3.2’ SLR-XA)

• FEMA ﬂood zones

• Historic ﬁres

• On-site sewage disposal systems

• Talk story map results

• Ridge-to-reef model results

• Coastal interventions: resilient future results

Overall Project Scale

Catalytic Site Scale

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

OLOWALU TOWN

MILE MARKER 14

UKUMEHAME BEACH PARK & WETLANDS

February 2025

OLOWALU: THE ROAD TO RESILIENCE

The upcoming Honoapiʻ ilani Highway realignment provides a unique opportunity for your input on the future of the Olowalu and Ukumehame coastal corridor that reﬂects ʻ ike kupuna, nature-based solutions, and community priorities.

COMMUNITY MEETINGS

JOIN US TO LEARN ABOUT THE PROJECT AND SHARE YOUR ʻ IKE AND MANAʻ O.

Thursday Feb 6, 2025

5:30 - 7:30 PM

LAHAINA INTERMEDIATE CAFETERIA

871 Lahainaluna Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761

VIRTUAL

ALTERNATIVE 1

Tuesday Feb 11, 2025 12 - 1:30 PM

ZOOM REGISTRATION

https://tnc.zoom.us/meeting/register/x4O3irrQQqONiFoIkhWTA

VIRTUAL

ALTERNATIVE 2

Thursday Feb 13, 2025 5:30 - 7 PM ZOOM REGISTRATION

https://tnc.zoom.us/meeting/register/ pxGgqK0MToiRijZvvUdPyA

Each meeting will cover the same content: project introduction, interactive community visioning, and talk story. At the in-person event, light dinner and beverages will be served. Throughout the year, there will be two additional rounds of visioning and co-design meetings.

LEARN MORE

For additional project and meeting info, please scan the QR code.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/2ba79613d0aa4da182fe9bc34cc10cc7

QUESTIONS?

Contact: t.farnsworth@tnc.org UHCDC.olowalu@gmail.com

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

Ridge-to-Reef Model

Talk Story Map

Synthesis of In-Person and Virtual Event Participant Comments

TALK-STORY MAP SYNTHESIS

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

Ridge-to-Reef Model Synthesis

PROTECT MAUKA AREAS

RESTORENATIVEFORESTS CLEAN UP POLLUTION

STRENGTHEN CULTURAL SITES PROTECT STREAM

CONTROLSPECIESINVASIVE

Summary of In-Person and Virtual

Engagement Event Comments

(2/6/25, 2/11/25, 2/13/25)

COASTAL PROTECTION

STRENGTHENMAUKATO MAKAIRELATIONSHIPS

RESTORE NATIVE FORESTS

IMPROVE ACCESS

Coastal Interventions: Resilient Future Results

Coastal Interventions: Resilient Future Written Responses

Round 2

May & June 2025

OLOWALU: THE ROAD TO RESILIENCE

CO-DESIGN COMMUNITY MEETINGS

Please join us to give your feedback on the first draft of a conceptual design based on prior community input and potential solutions addressing environmental threats and hazards.

Thursday May 29, 2025 5:30 - 7:30 PM LAHAINA INTERMEDIATE CAFETERIA 871 Lahainaluna Rd, Lahaina, HI 96761

RSVP LINK: https://forms.gle/9NYMGwLMfx2c8mJU6

Tuesday June 3, 2025 12 - 1:30 PM

ZOOM REGISTRATION

https://tnc.zoom.us/meeting/register/ RfynS8L9Sjys6yixS7-hxA#/registration

Thursday June 5, 2025 4:30 - 6 PM ZOOM REGISTRATION

https://tnc.zoom.us/meeting/register/ uHYN0qanQhuYFo9LyvXdxQ#/registration

Each meeting will cover the same content: brief project overview, summary of initial community engagement, participatory design, and talk story. At the in-person event, light dinner and beverages will be served. In the fall, there will be one additional round of co-design meetings.

For additional project and meeting info, please scan the QR code.

QUESTIONS? https://arcg.is/9qzyn1 LEARN MORE

Contact: t.farnsworth@tnc.org UHCDC.olowalu@gmail.com

Olowalu:

Project Area Scale Results

In-Person and Virtual Engagement Event Participant Input

(5/29/25, 6/3/25, 6/5/25)

Near Term (1.1’ SLR-XA) Project Area Concept

Initial Draft Conceptual Design Sketch

Please leave sticky note comments: I

Project Area Scale Synthesis

Synthesis of In-Person and Virtual Event Participant Comments

(5/29/25, 6/3/25, 6/5/25)

• Improve access to beaches, trails, and facilities (including ADA and emergency routes)

• Provide more amenities like restrooms, showers, shade, and windbreaks`

• Manage parking and address concerns about encampments and safety

• Restore streams, wetlands, loʻ i, and ﬁshponds using biocultural practices)

• Protect native ecosystems and support traditional ﬁshing methods

• Use restoration projects as opportunities for education & stewardship

• Address cesspools, ﬂooding, ﬁres, and pollution risks

• Plan for sea level rise with better modeling and infrastructure adaptation

• Clarify roles, responsibilities, and timelines for hazardrelated projects

Number of Sticky Notes Left Per Project Goal Category

Place & Community

Ecology & Habitat

Climate & Hazards

Near-Term Participant Priorities 9 15 22

Long-Term Participant Priorities

• Protect and improve access to beaches, campsites, and trails

• Add facilities and amenities like showers, shade, and drop-off zones

• Support local land use and educate visitors and site users on respectful practices

• Restore and protect native habitat and manage invasive species

• Support traditional biocultural practices and empower local stewardship

• Clarify land ownership and management/ maintenance responsibilities for ecological priority areas

• Address environmental threats like overﬁshing, pollution, and wind impacts

• Plan for sea level rise and long-term infrastructure adaptation and relocation

• Establish responsibility for land care, roadway maintenance and hazard mitigation

Number of Sticky Notes Left Per Project Goal Category

Place & Community Ecology & Habitat 7 24

& Hazards 10

Activity 2: Catalytic Site 1

Catalytic Site 1: Olowalu Town Site Analysis: Opportunities and Constraints

Catalytic Site 1: Olowalu Town Initial Draft

Catalytic Site 1 In-Person Results

Catalytic Site 1: Olowalu Town

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

Near-Term Dot Voting Board Results

Long-Term Dot Voting Board Results

The Road to Resilience

Olowalu:

Catalytic Site 1 Summary and Synthesis

Overall Community Priorities

Per Project Goal (Near and Long-Term)

PLACE & COMMUNITY

• Improve coastal access for beaches, trails, campsites, and recreation

• Improve and implement public infrastructure, including restrooms, showers, bike paths, and parking

• Preserve local identity by protecting cultural and historical sites and supporting local businesses

• Ensure safety with better traffc management and thoughtful land use

• Increase community beneft through public land ownership and sustainable design (e.g., resilience hubs)

ECOLOGY & HABITAT

• Restore native ecosystems and culturally signifcant areas like streams, reefs, and petroglyphs

• Remove invasive species and promote native plantings

• Support biocultural practices and community-led stewardship

• Educate visitors and site users to encourage respectful practices and mālama ʻāina

CATALYTIC SITE 1

OLOWALU TOWN

Participant voting on design goals equally emphasized place & community and ecology & habitat 2045

NEAR-TERM DESIGN

CLIMATE & HAZARDS

• Prepare for climate impacts including sea level rise, fooding, high winds, and fre

• Address infrastructure risks (e.g., wastewater, greywater, erosion)

• Establish clear roles of accountability, funding, and long-term maintenance plans

• Approach redevelopment carefully to avoid repeating past environmental harms

LONG-TERM DESIGN

In their voting, participants prioritized the place & community design goal, followed by ecology & habitat and climate & resilience identifed as secondary priorities.

93 total votes

46 total votes

57 total votes

Activity 3: Catalytic Site 2

Catalytic Site 2: Mile Marker 14

Site Analysis: Opportunities and Constraints

Catalytic Site 2: Mile Marker 14

Initial Draft Conceptual Design Sketches

Catalytic Site 2 In-Person Results

Catalytic Site 2: Mile Marker 14

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

In the Near Term (1.1’ SLR-XA), what do you consider most important in this location?

Catalytic Site 2: Mile Marker 14

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience In the Long Term (3.2’ SLR-XA), what do you consider most important in this location?

Olowalu: The Road to Resilience

Catalytic Site 2 Summary and Synthesis