A measure meant to temporarily increase the use of outside professionals at the city’s Department of Planning and Permitting and reduce the months-long backlog of building permit applications was amended to focus on tenant improvements, small solar projects and affordable rental housing developments.
The Honolulu City Council’s Committee on Zoning held further discussion
July 26 over the draft Bill 6 — last reviewed by the panel in June — that would, if approved, give the city’s DPP director more authority to continue the use of third-party reviewers as well as add self-certifying licensed architects and engineers to lessen the department’s workload.
As of last month, the median time to process a building permit application is nearly 200 days.
Under Bill 6, those self-
certifying professionals will have to attest that any plans, specifications, computations and other data they submit to the department are true and correct.
But following disagreements over the size and types of projects DPP’s future outside professionals might handle, the panel voted 3-1 — with Vice Chair Esther Kia‘aina dissenting — to go along with Council member Calvin Say’s submitted amendments to Bill 6.
As chair of the Zoning Committee, Say said his amendments, in part, would see “a temporary self-
certification program” sunset — or be repealed — in four years; that any new construction or renovation of a building be a maximum of 75 feet in height; and that “eligible” building projects contain a maximum of 60 dwelling units.
Prior to the vote, Kia‘aina — who’d submitted Bill 6 amendments of her own — said she did not support the self-certification of outside professionals for “all building permits.” Instead, she said she was “open to hearing proposals that would allow self-certification in only very narrow situations which (are) not the drafts before us today.”
Later, Kia‘aina asked DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna to define some of the “eligible projects” that might come under Bill 6’s purview.
In response, Takeuchi Apuna said three building project types — “smaller, less-risk” solar projects, tenant improvements and projects which fall under
Bill 7 — could be considered. Approved in 2019, Bill 7 was signed into law by then-Mayor Kirk Caldwell to “create a temporary program to accelerate the construction of affordable rental housing” on apartment and business mixed-use zoned properties by relaxing zoning and building code standards and offering financial incentives to private developers.
Over the past four years, Takeuchi Apuna confirmed a total of eight Bill 7-related affordable rental projects that have been approved by the city.
But as far as the three “eligible” project types for Bill 6 were concerned, Kia‘aina said the bill, as drafted, lacked specifics.
“I would be more comforted if you (were) more specific,” she said. “I already told you that I would like it to be narrowly tailored but
I don’t believe, as crafted, it does that.”
At that point, Kia‘aina recommended “holding the bill or I will be voting ‘no’ against this measure.” And when the bill was not delayed, the vice chair would oppose Say’s amendments as well.
In particular, Kia‘aina objected to the amendment over new construction or renovation of a building
having to be a maximum of 75 feet in height. And she’d challenge Say over the height maximum, noting it was “beyond the 60 feet under under Bill 7 projects.
“Are you aware of that?”
“Yes,” Say replied.
“So, I feel that your projects are ‘larger projects,’” she added.
To that, Say replied, “I believe it’s the standard policy of 75 feet with the building code.”
Kia‘aina disagreed. “Again, I understand what we’re trying to achieve here but I’m still discomforted with the lack of specificity,” she said. “I still remain concerned and will be voting ‘no.’”
Ultimately, Bill 6 was reported out for a second reading and a public hearing, possibly at the next full Council meeting Wednesday.
Meanwhile, during a special July 19 meeting of the Council’s Committee on Planning and the Economy, some good news was shared regarding DPP’s vexatious building permits backlog.
That day, Takeuchi Apuna told the panel her current staff managed to knock down the backlog of 3,600 applications awaiting prescreening by nearly 70%.
“Today we’re at about 1,100,” she said. “So that’s a big drop, and I think the staff are working so hard on that.”
