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Lahaina residents are slowly starting to apply for emergency permits to reconstruct their homes, but building professionals are urging more people to submit applications — despite ongoing concerns about the rehabilitation of key city infrastructure.

Maui County had issued three disaster recovery building permits as of Wednesday, with 33 under review under a streamlined system to cut a typically 300-day approval process down to 15 business days. The county has received 54 applications so far.

Maui implemented the permit system in a bid to return residents to Lahaina as swiftly as possible, a process anticipated to take years. But residents continue to worry about how necessary infrastructure work could impact the design and construction of their homes and compromise their return to the West Maui town.

“If you’re not sure about some of the infrastructure, don’t let that hold you back from getting in and applying for a permit because it could be a long process, especially if you’re on Front Street or another problematic area,” architect David Sellers told a room of property owners last week.

Applying earlier rather than later means residents will circumvent any additional delays in the future, Sellers, the American Institute of Architects Maui chapter president, said at the rebuild workshop.

The AIA estimates that the national average for rebuilding after major disasters is for 25% of homes to be reconstructed after five years.

“You extrapolate the increased time frame that we deal with in Hawaii with anything, and you know you could easily double that,” Sellers said. “Seven to eight years would be logical.”

Sellers’ message to apply early comes as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to clear and grade residential lots across Lahaina, having so far cleared 1,092 of 1,315. Col. Eric Swenson says 532 lots are “capital C” complete.

During the disaster recovery and rebuilding meeting held at Lahaina Civic Center last week, residents had numerous questions about the potential need for surveying and easements, along with construction pricing, insurance, cost relief and wastewater. 

The Environmental Protection Agency has surveyed almost 90,000 feet of sewage lines throughout Lahaina and several areas are still unable to access drinking water or flush their toilets. The county has about 10,000 feet left to assess.

For residents of Wahikuli, in the northern portion of the burn zone, there are specific concerns about how construction might be influenced by the EPA’s sewer system design, a process anticipated to take 14 to 16 months to complete and up to five years to construct.

That has partially fueled an inclination to wait on permit applications and plans, something that building professionals do not believe is a good idea.

Homeowners with cesspools will be able to rebuild and continue using those systems, in spite of the state’s drive to wean Hawaii off its estimated 83,000 cesspools by 2050. 

Using the cesspools is intended to be a stopgap measure until Wahikuli’s sewers are constructed and the houses connect to the system.

Landowners with cesspools will still need an approved engineer’s sign-off.

“We’re doing the best we can to get to all of you, who are on a massive list, as fast as possible,” said Jake Freeman of CDF Engineering and Action Survey. “We’ll do whatever certifications and things that are necessary to get you going for the permit.” 

Much of Lahaina remains in the county’s designated wastewater “red zone,” which will stall recovery permit applications. There has been a provision for residents to build temporary structures but “those are at a pause due to this wastewater issue,” said Shaina Hipolito of 4LEAF, which is coordinating the permits on the county’s behalf.

Maui County’s Office of Recovery has scheduled a webinar for , when officials will discuss wastewater and other issues.

A Boost In Standard

Architects have been collaborating with Lahaina residents, drawing up a library of building plans to help expedite the reconstruction process. Those plans are meant to shorten the drafting process by months.

The number of plans is growing each day and many architects are offering . The homes have been designed with Lahaina’s average plot sizes, general needs and area aesthetics in mind. 

Those plans do not need to be pre-approved because the permitting process is so short in the first place, Sellers said. All applicants for single-family dwellings need to do is design their home and draw up a site plan, with the county, and wait for approval.

Applications may take longer for residents of and those applying for irrigation or photovoltaic systems permits, which may require further permit applications. Applicants do not need a contractor signed on to apply.

New housing will nevertheless have to meet the 2018 Maui County Building Code, which comes with more safety precautions for natural disasters than older housing that burned in the fire.

The homes will be markedly safer in the face of high winds considering the brunt of Lahaina’s housing was constructed prior to hurricane-related codes coming into effect, said architect Morgan Gerdel of gerdel.studio. 

Fire safety provisions are part of the code, too, though the code “doesn’t get into a lot of what they call wildfire resistant construction,” Gerdel said.  

Those rules include various setback lengths for residences and firewalls for structures within 5 feet of each other, among other things.  

Despite not being in the code, Gerdel says some of his clients have chosen to increase wildfire protection by opting for certain roof materials and construction or types of exterior cladding. He noted that additional measures do not necessarily mean building costs will spike either. 

Still, taking those steps is “not a guarantee but it may just give you more time in the event of a fire,” Gerdel said. 

Gerdel is wary that the number of available contractors may not meet demand, given most of the contractors he works with are already busy. So the situation may require help from contractors on other islands, given how much he anticipates demand will increase. 

“Actually doing the construction, I think, will be the limiting factor,” Gerdel said.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.