Committee hears mixed reactions to requiring neighborhood-board notices for minor SMA and CUP permits; DPP urges targeted approach

The Honolulu City Council Committee on Zoning and Planning held an extended discussion on Sept. 23 about drafting ordinances to require neighborhood board presentations or notifications for minor Special Management Area (SMA) permits and minor Conditional Use Permits (CUPs).

Councilmember Matt Dwyer introduced the policy intent: provide low-cost, early notice to communities so neighbors can provide local information that might affect DPP's determinations and avoid late-stage conflicts or litigation. "The crux of the bill is providing notice to the community, so that they can engage with and provide input directly to DPP," Dwyer said.

The Department of Planning and Permitting filed testimony opposing the broad approach. Elizabeth Krieger told the committee that by definition SMA minor permits are for actions that have "no substantial adverse environmental or ecological effect" and are limited in scope. DPP argued an across-the-board neighborhood-board notification would slow a process that typically takes 45 days (10 days to accept an application as complete and 45 days to a decision) and could add 60-day neighborhood board presentation windows, creating delays for minor permits. DPP said it already posts decisions to the environmental notice and is working to expand public access through the city's Honolulu Build online system.

Krieger provided data: DPP processed roughly 80 SMA minor permits in 2024 and about 356 SMA minor permits over five years; the department denied nine SMA minors in that interval (those cases would have required a major permit). Conditional-use permit figures showed 227 CUP minors and 14 CUP majors in the last five years (applications, with some returned as incomplete).

Neighborhood and community-testifier input favored greater notice and early community involvement. Raquel Achoo, representing the North Shore, said the area is "inundated with projects" where developers have applied for minor permits and then proceeded with larger builds; she urged at least notification to immediate neighbors and neighborhood boards at the application stage rather than after decisions.

Kathleen Pahinui, chair of the North Shore Neighborhood Board, told the committee boards only want "a heads up" and recommended that notice occur at the time of application so boards can offer information and request hearings as needed. Some developers and planning consultants opposed a blanket change, saying minor permits are often small and that requiring neighborhood-board presentations would increase application cost and preparation time; Jim Hayes, who prepares CUP applications, said agribusiness uses warrant board presentations but that joint-development and parking agreements do not.

Committee members discussed technical options: DPP suggested enhancing the Honolulu Build portal to display minor permits and decisions so neighborhood boards could monitor applications in their area. DPP also recommended narrowing any new requirement to specific permit categories that are more likely to have community impacts (for example, agribusiness or other enumerated uses), rather than applying a universal neighborhood-board presentation requirement to all minor permits.

No formal committee action was taken; the items (Bill 56 and a related resolution to direct DPP to process ordinance amendments) were informational. The committee will continue the conversation, and DPP agreed to provide additional information and to coordinate with council offices about potential code language and online notification improvements.