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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0417.011 2020-2022 P/Puwc, 11 i Dear Hawaii Councilmen, � I i I November 13, 2021 CZCD i I RE: expedited permits for"certain projects" Dear Hawaii Councilman, �. I i I I am writing to protest Hawaii county's new plan to "expedite permits for certain projects...in particular the review of all residential building permit applications submitted before October 1st that contain the proper certification of a licensed professional and for which construction will be performed by a licensed contractor." It is understandable that the County would want to efficiently process as many permit applications as quickly as possible,especially given the current back-log of mounting permits that are pending approval in the EPIC system. However,giving priority to licensed contractor's applications only proves to be discriminatory against other applicants, like Owner-Builders,whose applications may very well be just as easy and quick to approve. Granting priority to licensed contractors seems to be a plan based on giving special priviledge and catering to"certain projects" rather than giving fair and equal treatment to any and all applicants,who may or may not have a permit that is quick and easy to approve. I am aware that there was a recent change in the Building Codes made in August of 2021, and that is one of the reasons for the back-log in the permit process, hence the need to expedite more permit applications. However, expediting licensed contractor applications is only catering to"certain projects"; it is not the licensed contractor that is responsible for making sure that the building plans reflect the newest building codes, but the architect. IF the goal is for the county to speed up the building permit approval process and get more permits approved faster, it should not give priority to only licensed contractors, but priority to any applications, whether they are submitted by licensed contractors or Owner-Builder,which reflect the newest building codes and whose application is complete. This would be the most equitable way to speed up the amount of permits in the County of Hawaii being processed. My application is an example of an Owner- Builder applicant, rather than a Licensed-Contractor applicant,who has submitted a complete application to the building department, and our licensed Architect has indeed verified that our building plans reflect the newest Building Codes. If you were to include our Owner-Builder application in the expedited review,as our permit application was submitted well before the October 1st mentioned date for applications submitted prior to that date to be expedited for review;you would find that our application would be just as easy and quick to approve,as any licensed contractor's applications. We paid a licensed professional architect to create our officially up-to-code building plans that will be just as good and accurate as any other licensed architect's plans that a licensed contractor may provide with their application, in fact,the licensed architect which we hired to create our building plans is the same architect utilized by a well-known licensed-contractor for many of his own residential building projects,whom we personally know. Why Comm. No. Ref. To:— Ref. Date NOV 1 6 2021 r should this licensed-contractor who utilizes the same licensed architect for the creation of up-to-code building plans that should be quick and easy to approve,get priority treatment over other applicants like myself and my wife,who simply choose to construct a house with our own two hands. Not all applicants can afford a licensed contractor and should not be discriminated against,and have their applications be given second-priority to certain priviledged licensed-contractors who submitted their application,after our application was submitted. Myself and my wife are both of senior age and don't have the energy to keep moving from rental to rental until our building permit application is finally approved;we are ready and able to build on our lot in West Hawaii,as soon as our building permit application is approved by the County of Hawaii. We have been long-time residents of Hawaii, paying property taxes/income taxes over the past 40+years in Hawaii, and specifically 30+years in West Hawaii. If the goal is to swiftly approve a higher number of permits during a certain period of time to get through any back-log of applications,giving expedited priority of building permits to only applicants who hired licensed contractors seems to be a plan based on priviledge and quite frankly,discriminaton, rather than a plan based on efficiency and fairness. As Owner-Builder applicants,our complete and accurate application, reflecting the newest building codes as provided and officially stamped by our licensed Architect, was submitted and permit fees paid in full, on September 7th, 2021,well before the specified deadline of October 1st for any licensed contractors to be given expedited review of their application; hence we feel it is only fair that our complete and accurate Owner-Builder application, Permit Number: PW.B2021-001120K, is made eligible for expedited review as well. Thank you for your time and consideration, Kurt Shively Permit Number: PW.B2021-001120K