The planned reopening of West Maui was supposed to occur in three phases over an extended period of time.

But yesterday, Maui’s Mayor Richard Bissen announced at a news conference that the entire coast will reopen to visitors on November 1st.

The change of plans comes as Bissen declared the first phase of West Maui’s reopening, which began on October 8th, a success, adding that getting people back to work was of high priority.

“The interaction of our visitors and our local community has been positive,” Bissen said of the last two weeks.

Now, phase two and three of the reopening will be combined, and all remaining hotels will be approved to reopen next week.

The Mayor’s claim that interactions between visitors and locals have gone well is noteworthy, considering many residents and politicians alike called for the delay of West Maui’s reopening leading up to the launch of phase one.

Among other issues, like childcare and schooling, locals were worried that more time was needed to find permanent housing for displaced residents. As of last week, there were still nearly 7,000 people living in more than 30 hotels in West Maui.

On the hotel side, the announcement gives all remaining unopened West Maui properties a firm opening date, no doubt putting some uneasy feelings at bay. Previously, hotels in phases two and three had no set reopening date and were stuck in a limbo of sorts about when they might be able to reopen.

Hotel bookings across Maui remain low, and it remains to be seen whether the more definitive timeline will help them improve.

Meanwhile, efforts to clean up Lahaina are still on-going, and tenants’ rights groups are calling for an extension of the eviction moratorium and rent increases until all displaced residents find permanent housing.

Recent estimates say that the wildfire cleanup could take a decade to complete and cost more than the county’s entire budget.