The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Honolulu City Council Committee on Zoning and Planning on Sept. 23, 2025.
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Sept. 23, 2025, 1 p.m.
Honolulu Hale
To: Honolulu City Council Committee on Zoning and Planning
Esther Kiaʻāina, Chair
Tommy Waters, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: Bill 56 (2025) — RELATING TO SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS
Aloha Chair Kiaʻāina, Vice Chair Waters and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii opposes Bill 56 (2025), which would require permit applicants to present project proposals to their area neighborhood boards or community associations as a condition of receiving minor Special Management Area permits.
Imposing this requirement would add unnecessary delays to simple projects and increase the city Department of Planning and Permitting’s workload at a time when it is already struggling to keep up with its existing permitting volume.
Honolulu currently requires a Special Management Area minor permit for any project within a designated coastal zone that is valued less than $500,000 and would not have a “significant adverse environment or ecological effect”— with limited exceptions for certain single-family homes and work such as home repairs, infrastructure maintenance and farming.[1]
Applicants must pay an application fee and provide drawings of their properties along with written descriptions of their proposed projects.[2]
Meanwhile, projects valued at more than $500,000 or that are likely to have an effect on the environment must apply for an SMA major permit. The process for obtaining an SMA major permit includes going through a public hearing from the area neighborhood board or community association and getting approval from the Honolulu City Council.
In other words, there’s already a distinction made between SMA major and SMA minor permits, with more intensive projects requiring greater oversight. Adding a layer of review for SMA minor permits would slow down the approval process for those projects while doing little to protect public health or safety.
Bill 56 (2025) would not require the neighborhood board or community association’s approval for SMA minor permits for the proposed projects to proceed, but opponents of those projects could use the hearings as an opportunity to pressure the applicants into making modifications to the project that could slow them down or increase their costs.
Furthermore, this bill would increase DPP’s workload by requiring staff to attend meetings and answer questions from neighborhood board or community association members, taking time away from the department actually processing permits.
It is already difficult enough to obtain building permits in Honolulu. Grassroot urges the Council to avoid making it any harder.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] § 25-2.3 Permits required for development., Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, accessed Sept. 2, 2025. Note that Act 125 (2025) increased this threshold to $750,000 but the City Council has not yet incorporated this change into the ROH.
[2] § 25-5.2 Special management area minor permit., Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, accessed Sept. 2, 2025.
