City planner - shorter waits for building permits

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City planner promises shorter waits for building permits

Honolulu's top planner told business people Tuesday that he's staffing up to cut down their wait and improve service for building permits.

An additional $550,000 in his $13 million budget will cover the cost to fill 27 new positions, said Eric G. Crispin, director of the Department of Planning and Permitting for the City and County of Honolulu.

Architects, engineers, inspectors, planners and plan checkers are in high demand for the openings that Crispin said he hopes to fill over the next four to six months.

"Thanks to the increase in our budget, we are actively taking steps to increase staffing and bring back the level of service that the public expects and deserves," Crispin told the group attending a Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii session at Dave and Buster's Restaurant at the Ward Entertainment Center.

Planning and permitting have been a sore spot for businesses that have had to endure waits for building permits ranging between four hours and six months.

The department handles about 18,000 permits annually. It also processes more than $1.4 billion worth of construction permits a year.