Grassroot events shine spotlight on Hawaii’s permitting problems

from Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, November 12, 2024

Building a home or even completing minor repairs in Hawaii can quickly turn into a bureaucratic nightmare due to the notorious delays in county permitting departments. 

At recent Grassroot Institute of Hawaii events in Hilo on Oct. 30 and Honolulu on Nov. 1, attendees shared their permitting horror stories and, more important, heard about actionable policy options from Grassroot Institute staff and other experts that could help ease this vexing problem.

The featured speakers at the Hilo event were Grassroot staffers Keli‘i Akina, Joe Kent and Ted Kefalas. They were joined at the Honolulu event by Holu Hou Energy President Ted Peck and Honolulu City Council member Tyler Dos Santos-Tam. Both events focused on recommendations in the Institute’s new policy brief, “Seven low-cost ways to speed up permitting in Hawaii.”

Joe Kent, Grassroot executive vice president, discussed the potential of third-party approvals, suggesting that overwhelmed permitting departments could rely on private companies to help clear backlogs — an approach successfully implemented in municipalities across the country, including Lahaina after the 2023 wildfire. 

Ted Kefalas, Grassroot director of strategic campaigns, discussed “shot clocks,” which set time limits for departments and warn that, “If you don’t get the permits out in that allotted time … there are penalties,” such as fee reductions or automatic approval for applicants.

Other policies outlined in the report include allowing preapproved building plans, streamlining the approval process for solar-related projects and reducing permit fees.

Kent likened the seven proposals to Legos, saying, “Through creative snapping together of a lot of these policies, we can make a policy that makes sense for each jurisdiction.” 

At the Honolulu event, Peck recalled a simple solar-installation project that “took two years, I think, three reviews for us to get it to the point of approval.” But then, at the last minute, the city reviewer found an approval stamp that had expired.

“All the other sheets were stamped by the same engineer, and they showed the current stamp. But he kicked that one back — something that he had already approved — because the stamp was expired.”

Peck said the action added two months to the process and cost the customer, the small business, over $10,000. 

“He was paying a bill he shouldn’t be paying,” Peck said,” and “there should be pathways to not have to do this. We really need to get smoother.”

Dos Santos-Tam expressed support for many of the proposed policies and emphasized that transforming permitting in the state will require “​​strong leadership from our government level but also continued advocacy from stakeholders.” 

“For all of you who are waiting for your permit, I feel your pain,” he said. “But the moment you get your permit, go and build your thing. Great. But don’t forget to keep on bugging us and complaining that, ‘Why did it take so long?’ … We need this constant pressure to get things to move.” 

To listen to the audio of the Hilo presentation, click >>> here. To watch the video of the Honolulu presentation, click >>> here. Complete transcripts of the presentations are provided.

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GRIH: New report addresses Hawaii's notorious permit delays and hassles | Grassroot Institute of Hawaii