Development risk profile
SIGNIFICANT DUE DILIGENCE REQUIRED
Driven by Cultural — HRS §6E
A screening read of public records — not legal, appraisal, or environmental advice. The single worst domain sets this read; it's never averaged. Verify with qualified professionals before you rely on it.
67HIGHof 100
LowModerateHigh
03055100
Top signalCoastal sand substrate — regional cultural-resource sensitivity prior (HIGH)
Risk by disturbance footprint
Risk read under each plausible work scenario. Click a row to share the link with that scenario pre-selected.
Sewer lateral / minor utility connectMOST LIKELY
65HIGHUtility trenching
69HIGHPool / spa installation
73HIGHSingle-family foundation
75HIGHSeptic + leach field
77HIGHFull site grading / commercial earthwork
80HIGHCesspool replacement
82HIGHFOOTPRINT FIGURES (SEWER LATERAL, SEPTIC+LEACH) FROM
THE HANALEI INITIATIVE, WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN (FEB 2026).
OTHER SCENARIOS ARE ESTIMATES.
THE HANALEI INITIATIVE, WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN (FEB 2026).
OTHER SCENARIOS ARE ESTIMATES.
Decision brief
The six questions every parcel-development decision answers — synthesised from the data below.
SCREENING FRAMEWORKPre-LOI synthesis only — not legal, financial, or development advice. Each card cites the underlying data; verify every conclusion against the panels below and engage qualified Hawaiʻi professionals before transacting.
1. CAN YOU BUILD WHAT YOU WANT HERE?
KAK in Urban State LU — permitted use is by-right but conditional-review constraints apply (see constraints list below).
- County zoning: KAK (not in the LUO decoder — verify with C&C DPP)
- State LU District: Urban
- Zoning code "Kak" is not in the KILO LUO decoder. Verify the district standards with C&C DPP directly. [ROH Ch. 21]
- Kakaʻako Special Design District — Design review through DPP for C&C-jurisdiction parcels; HCDA project-review track applies separately for HCDA-jurisdiction parcels (HRS Ch. 206E) [ROH §21-9.110]
- Kakaʻako Special Design District: Most of Kakaʻako is under HCDA jurisdiction (HRS Ch. 206E) — county zoning is informational on those parcels; verify which jurisdiction governs [ROH §21-9.110]
- Kakaʻako Special Design District: Where C&C jurisdiction applies, ground-floor commercial / urban-design requirements per the Kakaʻako Special District guidelines [ROH §21-9.110]
- Opportunities: Kakaʻako Special Design District: Both HCDA and C&C tracks support significant residential + mixed-use density appropriate to the urban-core context; HRS Chapter 201H exemption pathway — an affordable project developed with or assisted by HHFDC (counties process applications through their housing agencies) may request exemption from statutes, ordinances, and rules relating to planning, zoning, and subdivision/construction standards (HRS §201H-38), on an expedited clock: the county council must act on the preliminary plans within 45 days, and a project not disapproved by the 46th day is deemed approved. HHFDC program threshold: at least 50% + 1 of units affordable at ≤140% AMI, with buyback / shared-appreciation restrictions on for-sale affordable units. Exemptions cannot compromise public health or safety. Distinct from the county density bonus — the two pathways are evaluated separately.
2. WHO HAS TO APPROVE THIS?
FRICTION
3 review pathways beyond standard county permitting.
- C&C Honolulu DPP — Kakaʻako Special Design District Special District Permit (SDP) [ROH §21-9.110 / HRS Ch. 206E] (3-6 (C&C SDP) / parallel HCDA review if applicable mo)
- SHPD §6E historic-property review — HIGH cultural-resource sensitivity — Archaeological Inventory Survey (AIS) expected pre-fieldwork; SHPD coordination from project start (3-6+ months SHPD review)
- Ka Paʻakai O Ka ʻAina three-prong analysis — §6E historic-property review at HIGH cultural-resource sensitivity (SHPD) (6-12+ months agency review beyond baseline)
- Optional reroute — HRS §201H-38: a qualifying affordable project (≥50% + 1 of units at ≤140% AMI) may process through HHFDC or the county housing agency instead, with planning/zoning/development standards exemptible and a 45-day council clock (deemed approved if not disapproved) [HRS §201H-38]
3. WHAT'S GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE?
FRICTION
3 non-standard cost drivers identified — verify magnitudes with a licensed contractor.
- Archaeological Inventory Survey + cultural monitoring — HIGH cultural-resource sensitivity per the engine read
- Flood-zone NFIP insurance — FEMA flood zone AE
- Environmental due diligence + potential remediation — HEER contamination docket: VICTORIA WARD, LTD ~51 m; Phase I ESA likely
4. WHAT'S GOING TO BE SLOW?
1 timeline driver beyond standard county pace.
- Inadvertent-discovery delay risk (Days-to-weeks per find; project-stopping in worst case) — HIGH cultural-resource sensitivity — Wainiha 2021 and Oʻahu coastal patterns
5. PRE-LOI INVESTIGATION ITEMS
POTENTIAL BLOCKER
1 high-severity constraint to verify against your specific deal terms.
- DOH HEER contamination near parcel — VICTORIA WARD, LTD at ~51 m. Verify Phase I ESA scope with an environmental consultant before proceeding.
6. IS THIS NEIGHBORHOOD HAPPENING OR DEAD?
DATA GAP
Partial neighborhood read — building permits + recent sales not yet in KILO.
- 5 cultural sites documented within 1 km — established / historically-active area
- 486 documented cesspools in Ala Wai watershed — older / pre-sewer development pattern
PERMIT PATHWAY — HONOLULU DPP
2 DPP approvals to sequence ahead of the building permit.
Critical path
Kakaʻako Special Design District Special District Permit (SDP) → Building Permit
~5–15 months of sequenced process along this chain · 1 other step can run in parallel
Screening-grade sequencing: statutory windows + typical agency ranges over the cited gating edges — not observed medians, and not every step applies to every project. Conditional steps are shown but excluded from the total.
Coastal & discretionary approvals
Kakaʻako Special Design District Special District Permit (SDP)● CRITICAL PATHREQUIRED
C&C Honolulu DPP · 3-6 (C&C SDP) / parallel HCDA review if applicable mo
Discretionary entitlement the project's tier requires
A land-use approval that must be secured before by-right permits can issue; filed and decided ahead of (or alongside) the coastal approvals and the building permit.
ROH §21-9.110 / HRS Ch. 206E
Site development
Grading / Grubbing / Stockpiling PermitLIKELY
C&C Honolulu DPP · 1-3 mo
Earthwork above the ROH Ch. 18A thresholds
Carries a DPP-approved Erosion & Sediment Control Plan; reviewed concurrent with or ahead of the building permit. A Site Planner cut/fill read sharpens whether it's triggered.
ROH Ch. 18A
Building permit
Building Permit● CRITICAL PATHREQUIRED
C&C Honolulu DPP · 1-3 mo
All vertical construction
Issues after the coastal/discretionary approvals above are secured. From 2026-07-01, engineer/architect-certified single- and multi-family plans are deemed approved if DPP does not act within 60 days (SB66, SLH 2025).
ROH Ch. 18
Alternate track — HRS §201H-38 alternate track
Optional reroute — HRS §201H-38: a qualifying affordable project (≥50% + 1 of units at ≤140% AMI) may process through HHFDC or the county housing agency instead, with planning/zoning/development standards exemptible and a 45-day council clock (deemed approved if not disapproved) [HRS §201H-38]
Ordered by DPP's own filing sequence: discretionary & coastal approvals → site development → building permit. A screening read of the instruments this parcel's signals trigger — confirm thresholds, Minor-vs-Major, and exact order with DPP; not every step applies to every project.