Plan to rebuild popular Kaanapali Beach with offshore sand faces scrutiny

KAANAPALI (HawaiiNewsNow) – Kaanapali Beach on Maui’s west side has been eroding for four decades, and a plan is now moving forward to restore it — but the proposal is facing some community opposition.

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The Kaanapali Beach Restoration Project plans to transport approximately 75,000 cubic yards of sand from offshore near Puʻu Kekaʻa, also known as Black Rock, and return it to Hanakaʻōʻō, also known as canoe beach.

Project organizers say they have been engaging with the community about the plan for years.

Scientific consultant defends the approach

Chris Conger, the lead scientific consultant on the project, said beach restoration is not new to Hawaii or the United States.

“Beach restoration and beach nourishment is not novel to Kaanapali or even Hawaii. It’s been done across the islands here in Hawaii. It’s been done very successfully domestically within the United States and of course internationally,” Conger said.

Organizers say they will also create dunes with native plants for stabilization and have a full-time cultural monitor to oversee the project.

Conger described the restoration as a midterm solution with a lifespan of about 20 years, and said managed retreat should be evaluated as part of a long-term plan.

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“Personally and professionally, I believe in this project. This is habitat and resource restoration. It has added benefit of being all for the public domain, but completely privately funded. It is a win win on multiple levels,” Conger said.

Shoreline advocate calls for managed retreat

Maui shoreline advocate Kai Nishiki said many people are against the plan and compared the level of opposition to the protests over telescope construction on Mauna Kea.

“This will be the Mauna Kea being brought to West Maui and they are ready to stand in front of the machines because that’s how strongly they want to protect our beach,” Nishiki said.

Nishiki said the only real solution is managed retreat — the relocation of infrastructure away from the shoreline — and questioned whether the restoration project serves as a genuine bridge to that outcome.

“It’s supposed to be a bridge if you need a little bit more time to relocate the infrastructure, it’s supposed to be a bridge to that. And so the big question with this proposal is, is this a bridge to relocating infrastructure or is this a bridge to nowhere?” Nishiki said.

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