The City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting is continuing its efforts to improve the often criticized permitting process.
HNL Build, which is built on the Salesforce platform and implemented by Speridian, goes live Aug. 4, the city said in a recent announcement. It'll replace the existing, decades-old POSSE platform.
"This [new] system will bring greater consistency, transparency and efficiency to the way the public interacts with the department — enhancing services for residential and commercial builders, property owners and planning professionals alike," DPP spokesperson Davis Pitner told Aloha State Daily in an email.
Under the current system, Pitner says applicants are limited in the types of permits they can apply for online.
"For example, if an applicant needs a permit other than a building permit, they must submit a paper form in person," he explained. "HNL Build aims to change that by expanding online access to a broader range of permit types, making the process more convenient and efficient for everyone."
Pitner says the new system will enable online submissions of all application types currently handled by DPP, including site development permits, coastal permits, zoning permits, planning applications, licenses and other types of approvals. Applicants will then be able to track the status of all their applications through HNL Build and a single login, he says.
Applications can also be shared with other stakeholders like owners, contractors, plan makers and engineers, Pitner says, "so everyone will have full visibility of status and comments."
The department has often come under fire in recent years for long delays and backlogs. Other outlets have reported extensively on the matter.
Pitner says that previously, one of the biggest contributors to the permit backlog were incomplete applications that were often missing forms or unaddressed corrections. The new system helps to eliminate these delays by requiring applicants to upload all necessary documents before moving forward in the process, creating a "smoother, more efficient experience for both applicants and DPP staff."
HNL Build also will "provide more guidance that will ensure the applicant is submitting all required information and documents before they can complete their application, which will reduce time going back and forth with DPP staff before a review can begin," Pitner says.
"This application process will also be transparent so applicants and owners are able to see where in the review process they are, reducing uncertainty and confusion. They will be immediately notified if there are any actions required by them such as fee payment, document submissions, addressing plan review comments, etc. that can reduce the time the applications are with the applicant."
According to Pitner, less than three years ago, the peak average DPP code review times were about a year for residential permits and two-plus years for commercial.
Today, the residential code review for one cycle is less than two weeks and the commercial code review is three months.
"It is important to understand that the building permit process is not simply a review solely by DPP," Pitner says. "Depending on the project scope, it requires review by external agencies ... and it includes significant — at least half — the time with the applicant to address comments by DPP and the agencies, in order to bring the plans into conformance with all relevant codes."
He says the department has reduced the backlog in the last three years by reducing the internal code review times, "but we continue to see multiple review cycles due to incomplete applicant submissions, lack of consistency with code requirements, and the time the application is spent with the applicant, that extends the overall permitting process time."
The overall permitting review times "continue to be extensive" because of other phases of the permitting process that need improvement.
"We are working on ways to help the applicant better prepare their plans and be code compliant so that the additional time outside of DPP code review will eventually come down as well, thereby reducing the overall permitting times," Pitner says.
When asked what else has been or is being done to address permitting delay, Pitner says the department is planning another software launch later this year with CivCheck, a tool that aims to help both staff and building permit applicants.
"This tool will enable plan makers to validate their plans will meet DPP standards before submitting for a permit application, significantly reducing the number of review cycles needed for permit issuance," Pitner told ASD. "By catching issues early, CivCheck will help streamline the permitting process and reduce the workload on DPP staff."
As a part of the transition, the city says the current POSSE and ePlans systems will go offline at the close of business on Monday, July 28, and many permitting services will be unavailable during this time.
Applications already in progress as of that date will automatically transfer to the new system with their current status preserved, the city noted. Those who are planning to submit applications around this time are encouraged to wait until the new system launches.
DPP also will release a series of tutorial videos on its YouTube channel and website about a week before HNL Build goes live, the city says.
You can visit the DPP website for more updates and information.
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
