Maui officials aim to accelerate processing of permits to help Lahaina rebuild

HONOLULU– Local officials in Hawaii plan to open an office next month that will speed up Maui County’s notoriously slow processing of building permits to help the city of Lahaina recover from last year’s deadly wildfire.

Keanu Lau Hee, the county’s deputy director, told a community meeting in Lahaina that a County Expedited Permitting Center will open in April. She said the province has selected a vendor to help review the applications.

“If any of you have had the pleasure of filing a permit with the county, we’re not moving that fast,” she said at the meeting, which was held Wednesday and streamed online.

Hawaii’s four counties, and Maui County in particular, are known for long permit processing times. Researchers at the University of Hawaii found that the state’s average wait time for a building permit to build a multifamily project over the past five years was 400 days.

The August 8 wildfire destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and displaced 4,500 people in Lahaina. Lau Hee said 87% of those who lost their homes were renters, and the rest were homeowners.

The new permitting center will help private developers build five separate projects totaling more than 500 homes.

Lau Hee said the province also wants to help property owners rebuild after workers finish cleaning up toxic debris and utility infrastructure is in place. She said the province hopes the properties will be cleared early next year.

“Our goal is to create opportunities for you to begin rebuilding your properties,” she said.

About 3,800 residents still live in hotels.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is building 169 temporary housing units for displaced residents and leasing 1,300 units from landlords. The state of Hawaii is building about 450 temporary housing units, including 270 that will be ready in July or August. The state’s temporary units are expected to be used for three to five years.