A bill to create an elected community board backed by a state agency to help rebuild Lahaina after the town was leveled by wildfire advanced Thursday at the state Legislature.

Two Senate committees voted unanimously to advance Senate Bill 3381 to a third and final Senate committee where passage is expected ahead of a full Senate vote and potential consideration in the House of Representatives.

The bill represents requests from Lahaina residents wanting control over rebuilding the West Maui town, according to authors of the measure.

However, SB 3381 has drawn concerns from Gov. Josh Green, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen, Maui County Council member Tamara Paltin representing West Maui, community organization Lahaina Strong and the Maui Chamber of Commerce.

Under a revised draft of the bill advanced Thursday, the Hawaii Community Development Authority would work on redevelopment planning and projects at the direction of a board made up entirely of West Maui residents elected in a Jan. 1, 2025, special election. A $250,000 appropriation was added to the bill to cover special-election costs.

The bill also includes a $100 million appropriation for development projects if an equal sum can be raised from the private sector.

State Sen. Angus McKelvey (D, West Maui-Maalaea-South Maui), who lost his home in the fire and co-­introduced the bill, expressed some reluctance over the measure during a Wednesday public hearing, but on Thursday said he believes HCDA can do a good job helping the community’s self-governance goal in rebuilding Lahaina.

“To be brutally honest … this is our only chance to get meaningful funding for Lahaina,” he said.

McKelvey was one of the five members of the Committee on Water and Land voting to advance SB 3381, as did the five-member Committee on Energy, Economic Development and Tourism, led by state Sen. Lynn DeCoite (D, East and Upcountry Maui-Molokai-­Lanai).

DeCoite thanked HCDA for its positive reception to the bill and noted that Thursday’s vote will allow further discussion and input on the measure.

The bill is headed for consideration by the Senate Ways and Means Committee, which is chaired by the bill’s co-introducer, state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz (D, Mililani-Wahiawa-Whitmore Village).

The Aug. 8 wildfire destroyed most of Lahaina, including roughly 3,500 homes, and killed at least 101 people.

Under SB 3381 the envisioned board would be tasked with creating a new community plan for an area between Maalaea and Kaanapali called the Lele Community District.

The board could establish parameters for affordable housing, rent control, wildfire prevention, underground utility placement and shoreline setbacks, among other things, and use HCDA powers that include financing, acquiring land by condemnation and assessing landowners to help pay for improvement costs.

HCDA was established by the Legislature in 1976 to turn Kakaako, then a largely near-blighted industrial area with neglected city infrastructure, into a mixed-use community featuring residential towers. Other HCDA districts include Kalaeloa and Heeia on Oahu and Pulehunui on Maui.