Bill Text: HI HCR173 | 2016 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Planning and permitting efficiency.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-03-14 - Referred to WAL, FIN, referral sheet 28 [HCR173 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2016-HCR173-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	173
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

urging county planning and permitting agencies to SET AND MEET efficiency GOALS and SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE the number of permits issued each year.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the main role of county planning and permitting agencies in Hawaii is to ensure that plans for new buildings and other projects meet important safety and other standards before applicable permits are issued; and

 

     WHEREAS, this important role is not to be taken lightly, and thorough and accurate vetting of plans is important for maintaining high building standards; and

 

     WHEREAS, the need to carefully review plans must be balanced with the need to issue permits in a reasonably expeditious manner, and these needs do not necessarily conflict with one another; and

 

     WHEREAS, housing at all price points is desperately needed to maintain the State’s economic equilibrium; and

 

     WHEREAS, potential employees who cannot find affordable homes may choose not to move to Hawaii, and current residents affected by stratospheric home prices will leave, which will negatively affect employment; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism has forecasted that, from 2015 to 2025, the demand for additional housing units will increase by 25,847 units in the City and County of Honolulu, 19,610 in the County of Hawaii, 13,949 in the County of Maui, and 5,287 in the County of Kauai; and

 

     WHEREAS, to address the increasing housing shortage, government may need to shift its regulatory stance to a more production-oriented stance regarding housing development; and

 

     WHEREAS, in any organization, efficiencies can be achieved by setting goals that encourage organizational change and seeking new ways to accelerate business processing, while not compromising business objectives; and

 

     WHEREAS, the building industry, unlike many other industries, relies heavily on county planning and permitting agencies to grant permission to begin construction; and

 

     WHEREAS, there are often complaints, whether well-founded or not, about parking problems, long lines, and long waiting times at county planning and permitting agencies; and

 

     WHEREAS, delays in the processing and issuance of building permits increase the cost of doing business; and

 

     WHEREAS, while businesses should ensure, to the best of their abilities, that plans and permit applications are thorough, complete, and comply with applicable building codes and other regulations, county planning and permitting agencies should also be encouraged to operate as efficiently as possible and expedite the permitting process; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the Senate concurring, that the respective planning and permitting agencies of the various counties are urged to establish and meet efficiency goals and significantly increase the number of permits issued each year; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the mayor of each county and the heads of the respective planning and permitting agencies of the various counties.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Planning and permitting efficiency.