Honolulu Committee on Zoning and Planning Meeting - March 5, 2026
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Honolulu Committee on Zoning and Planning Meeting - March 5, 2026
The Committee on Zoning and Planning met on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 9:01 AM HST at Honolulu Hale. The meeting was chaired by Councilmember Kia Aina, with Vice Chair Waters arriving later. Members present included Councilmembers Cordero, Okimoto, Tupola, and Dosanta-Stam. The committee reviewed four action items, including two special management area (SMA) major permits, two bills amending the Land Use Ordinance, and received informational briefings on the building permit backlog, Bill 7 projects, and planning schedules. One item was postponed. Public testimony was taken on several items.
Public Comments & Testimony
- On Resolution 26-29 (submarine cable): Jennifer Cruz, project manager for the contractor Frank V. Calluccio Construction Company, testified in support, noting the company's local workforce and experience. Fred Rhodi, co-president of DR Fortress, testified in support, emphasizing the benefits for internet connectivity and competition. No opposition was heard.
- On Bill 6 2026 CD1 (apartment district standards): Wilford Motosue, a small developer, testified requesting exemptions for projects with 50 or fewer dwelling units, arguing that affordable housing requirements create financial risk for small developers. Jonathan Helton, policy analyst for the Grassroot Institute, testified in support but suggested two amendments: increasing the FAR in the A2 zone from 3.0 to 4.0 and reducing minimum lot dimensions from 60 feet to 50 or 45 feet.
- On Bill 7 2026 CD1 (sign standards): Lee Tokuhara of Heart in Hawaii and Kieran Polk, executive director of the Kapala Chamber of Commerce, testified in strong support, thanking Councilmember Tupola for the bill.
- On Item 1 (Planning Commission review): No public testimony was offered.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 – Review and Evaluation of the Planning Commission: Chair Kia Aina recommended postponing action to the next meeting on April 2, 2026, to prepare a draft committee report. Pane Meatoga III, Chair of the Planning Commission, summarized the commission's report. Discussion included questions about staffing for the commission's secretary and corporation counsel support. Councilmember Cordero inquired about quorum issues; Director of DPP noted that quorum is not currently a severe problem but vacancies need to be filled. The item was postponed without objection.
- Item 2 – Resolution 26-27 (Kahala Avenue SMA permit): The project involves a single-unit dwelling, cabana, pool, and spa on two jointly developed lots totaling 55,798 square feet. Chair presented a CD1 version with two verbal amendments to condition F: replacing "EV Kupuna" with "human burials, including EV Kupuna" and deleting the phrase "and all mitigation protocols approved or otherwise required by SHIPT." The amendments were adopted. The resolution was then reported out for adoption without objection.
- Item 3 – Resolution 26-29 (Submarine cable SMA permit): The project allows horizontal directional drilling for three new fiber optic cables at Kahe Point. Similar verbal amendments to condition B were adopted. The resolution was reported out for adoption without objection.
- Item 5 – Bill 6 2026 CD1 (Apartment district standards): The bill reduces minimum lot size to 5,000 square feet, sets standard 60-foot minimum lot dimension, and increases residential FAR in A1/AMX-1 to 2.0, A2/AMX-2 to 3.0, and A3/AMX-3 to 4.0. DPP supported the bill, opposing the amendments suggested by testifiers. The chair recommended reporting out for passage on third reading; no objections.
- Item 6 – Bill 7 2026 CD1 (Sign standards): The bill allows one sign per ground floor establishment with street frontage, with a maximum sign size of 9 square feet (reduced from 12 square feet per planning commission recommendation). DPP supported. The bill was reported out for passage on third reading without objection.
- Item 7 – Informational Briefing on Building Permit Backlog and Bill 7 Projects: DPP Director Don Takuchi Apuna presented data on permit processing. Key statistics: 59 total Bill 7 projects, 6 completed (certificate of occupancy issued), 16 under construction, 35 under review. Pre-construction grants have 3 pending applications; post-construction grants awarded 6 totaling $1.9 million since 2022. The HL Build system launched in August 2025 led to a spike in applications and a temporary slowdown. Residential permit review times average 7 days for code review; commercial review times are longer due to engineer vacancies. Councilmember Tupola noted the value of public transparency in HL Build. Councilmember Okimoto requested easier public access to permit status. Councilmember Dosanta-Stam raised concerns about the growing backlog and asked about commercial permit delays. Director acknowledged capacity issues in engineering. The committee discussed the need for better notification to neighborhood boards about Bill 7 projects.
- Item 8 – Informational Briefing on Development and Sustainable Communities Plans and TOD Plans: Dina Wong, chief of DPP's planning division, provided updates: North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan is furthest along, expected to go to Planning Commission in Q3 2026; Waiʻanae SCP public review draft expected Q3; ʻEwa Development Plan kickoff in late 2025. Tim Stritz, acting TOD administrator, reported that East Kapolei TOD zoning is anticipated to go to Planning Commission by April 1, 2026, with subsequent TOD zoning for Airport, Kalihi, Downtown, and Ala Moana projected through 2031. Discussion included concerns about staffing levels and the pace of rezoning. Councilmember Waters raised concerns about state legislation (SB 2423 and HB 1919) that would preempt county control over lot sizes. Councilmember Cordero inquired about FAA height restriction mapping for Airport and Kalihi areas; Stritz noted that the state OPSD and HDOT have produced generalized maps, but developers must verify precise heights. Councilmember Dosanta-Stam questioned the 10-year timeline for Ala Moana TOD zoning, noting the plans' original one-year implementation estimate.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 postponed to April 2, 2026, by unanimous consent; Chair Kia Aina will prepare a draft report.
- Resolution 26-27 amended to CD1 with verbal amendments to condition F, then reported out for adoption by unanimous consent.
- Resolution 26-29 amended to CD1 with verbal amendments to condition B, then reported out for adoption by unanimous consent.
- Bill 6 2026 CD1 reported out for passage on third reading without objection.
- Bill 7 2026 CD1 reported out for passage on third reading without objection.
- Informational briefings received; no votes taken. The committee requested DPP provide clearer data on permit backlog trends and explore options for better public notification of Bill 7 projects.
Meeting Transcript
Aloha and good morning, everyone. It is Thursday, March fifth, twenty twenty-six, and the time is none nine oh one AM. With the committee on zoning and planning meeting, please come to order. I would like to welcome committee members, uh, Councilmember Cordero, Councilmember Okimoto, and Councilmember Tupola. I understand um Vice Chair Waters should be here shortly. Although remote verbal testimony is being permitted, this is a regular in-person meeting and not a remote meeting by interactive conference technology under HRS section ninety-two-three point seven. Therefore, the meeting will continue with notwithstanding loss of audio visual communication with remote testifiers or loss of the public broadcast of the meeting. Members of the public will be allowed to provide verbal testimony on all items on the agenda when each item is taken up in two ways, in person and remotely via video conference or phone. Before testifying, each person shall state their name for the record. Each speaker may not have anyone else read their statement and will be limited to a one-minute presentation per item. All persons who register to testify in person will be called upon first. Persons who did not register will be given an opportunity to offer testimony after the registered testifiers. Moving to agenda item number one for action, the committee will review and evaluate the planning commission and make recommendations to the council on whether the charter provisions establishing the commission should be retained, amended, or repealed. We will be reviewing and evaluating the planning commission pursuant to ordinance 17-44, codified as ROH chapter 3, Article 15, which mandates the periodic review and evaluation of certain city boards and commissions. The purpose of the review and evaluation is to determine whether the provisions of the city charter establishing the commission should be retained, amended, or repealed. The commission was established by Charter Section 6-1505 and 6-1506, and has the following uh powers, duties, and functions. First, they are to advise the mayor, the council, and the director of planning and permitting on matters concerning the planning program. Second, hold public hearings and make recommendations on all proposals to adopt or amend the general plan, development plans, and zoning ordinances. And third, perform other related duties as may be necessary to fulfill its responsibilities under the charter or as may be assigned by the mayor or the council. The commission consists of nine members appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council to staggered five-year terms. At least one commission member must have substantial experience or expertise in one of the following categories or disciplines. Each of the categories must be represented by a different member, and all categories must be represented on the commission. First, someone with native Hawaiian traditional and customary practices, native wine law or traditional Hawaiian land usage. Second, someone with land use planning policies and principles. Third, someone with land development and construction background. And fourth, someone with climate change and sea level rise cause effects and solutions or environmental protection and preservation. By departmental communication 57 2026, dated January 30th, 2026, the Commission submitted to the Council an updated report on its accomplishments and activities. The commission recommended that charter provisions establishing the commission to be be retained without change, but recommended that erroneous provision in R8 section 22-3.5 be amended to provide that the director of planning and permitting, not the commission, is responsible for adopting rules governing the subdivision or consolidation of land. I will be recommending that action on this matter be postponed until the next committee meeting on April 2nd. In the meantime, I will prepare a draft committee report with recommendations for consideration at that meeting. Joining us in the council chambers is Pane Meatoga III, Chair of the Planning Commission, who will summarize the commission's report and provide some comments. Good morning, Chair, members, Dana Puna DPP. Did you want me to comment on the report? Yes. Sure. So I think this is a routine report that the planning commission provides to the council. It gives an uh idea of the last few years with some of the dockets that they've been looking at. Um I think there is uh there was one concern about the staffing from the corporation council and the secretary, and we have been looking at that as far as the secretary looking at um increasing her pay, but she is kind of capped out based on her current duties. So we're looking at that, but also maybe providing her with like an office assistant to help take some of that load off. Um but other than that, yeah, if you have any questions about the report itself. Okay, I do have a question on um the position. So are you able to use uh current vacancies to secure any additional staffing that you need, or will you need it to um for the council to add any new positions in the upcoming uh budgetary cycle? I I would have to go back and see if that's something that we wouldn't we'd need to add, like an office assistant. Yeah. Okay, separate from the office assistant. Is there uh any other type of resources that could strengthen the capacity uh like the corporate council? Uh wasn't there a comment about the fact that the corpor council has to do so many other things? Yeah, and I would defer to corporation council uh for how they would manage their their workload workload for their deck. Can I ask you or corporation council? Is it better fit?
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