The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Honolulu City Council on September 3, 2025.
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Sept. 3, 2025, 10 a.m.
Honolulu Hale
To: Honolulu City Council
Tommy Waters, Chair
Andria Tupola, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: Bill 56 (2025) — RELATING TO SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS
Aloha Chair Waters, Vice Chair Tupola and other members of the Council,
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.
This bill would add unnecessary delays to simple projects and would increase the Department of Planning and Permitting’s workload at a time when it is already struggling to complete existing jobs.
Right now, Honolulu requires a special management area minor permit for any project within a designated coastal zone that is valued under $500,000 and that 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 the property along with a written description of the project.[2]
Meanwhile, projects valued above $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 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 do little to protect public health or safety, but it would slow down the approval process for those projects.
Even though Bill 56 (2025) does not require the neighborhood board or community association’s approval for a project to proceed, vocal critics of the project could use the hearing as an opportunity to pressure the applicant or DPP into making modifications to the project that could slow it down or increase costs.
Furthermore, this bill would increase DPP’s workload by requiring staff to attend meetings and answer questions from board members, taking time away from 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.
