Officials in Hawaii will open a new office next month to speed up the process of obtaining building permits in Maui County to assist in the recovery for Lahaina after last year’s deadly wildfires.
County deputy managing director Keanu Lau Hee told a community meeting in Lahaina that a County Expedited Permitting Centre will open in April.
She said the county had selected a vendor to help review applications.
“If any of you have had the pleasure of filing a permit with the county – we’re not that quick,” she said at the meeting on Wednesday.
Hawaii’s four counties, particularly Maui County, are well-known for lengthy permit processing times.
University of Hawaii researchers have found that the state’s median wait time for a construction permit to build a multifamily project in the last five years was 400 days.
The August 8 wildfire destroyed over 2,000 buildings and displaced 4,500 people in Lahaina.
Ms Lau Hee said 87% of those who lost their homes were renters, and the rest were homeowners. To date, 3,800 people are still living in hotels.
The new permitting centre will help private developers build five separate projects, totalling more than 500 housing units.
Ms Lau Hee said the county also wanted to help property owners rebuild after workers finished cleaning toxic debris and utility infrastructure was in place.
She said the county hopes properties will be cleared by early next year.
“Our goal is to create opportunities for you folks to start rebuilding on your properties,” she said.
About 3,800 residents are still living in hotels.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is building 169 temporary housing units for displaced residents and is renting 1,300 units from landlords.
Hawaii is building about 450 temporary housing units, including 270 that will be ready by July or August.
The state’s temporary units are expected to be used for three to five years.