The two-story “single-family house” in Kalihi was going to have nine bathrooms. The walls of the building would stretch from property line to property line: no side yards. The layout indicated that the building would actually contain multiple, separate living units — and not for relatives. With that many people inside, there’s no way enough parking for city zoning rules was included. Yet the city granted a building permit for this monstrosity, aka “monster home” in Kalihi in 2022.

However, after neighbors contacted city and state representatives who brought concerns to the city, Honolulu’s Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) quickly stepped up and stepped in, sent an inspector to the site, acknowledged a mistake with permitting and issued a stop work order while revoking the building permit.

It would have been much better, of course, if the permit had never been granted. Still, the city’s decisive action to stop work on the property is welcome.

Now, DPP must double down on enforcement to prevent this scenario from repeating, with consequences against property owners who submit misleading, incorrect permit applications, as well as the reviewers — whether contracted or within DPP itself — who fail to properly vet them.

The city’s Bill 6, now under consideration, would help by temporarily allowing the city to add to its pool of contracted reviewers who take on a majority of permit applications, while imposing a new requirement: that the contracted, licensed architects and engineers “self-certify,” that is, take responsibility for the accuracy of plans, specifications and other information they submit. It should be enacted, with as many quality controls as possible.

In the Kalihi case, the 2020 application was certified as meeting city rules by a third-party reviewer, Jimmy Wu, despite billowing red flags.

City Councilman Tyler Dos Santos-Tam and state Rep. John Mizuno reported their concerns, in detail, to the city DPP in an April 3 letter. The city acted speedily to “re-review” the project plans, finding that the permit application included “incorrect,” i.e., false information.

In fact, the home’s size, in comparison to the lot, blew past limits in the city’s “monster homes” ordinance.

On April 11, the city issued a notice of violation and a stop-work order to the owners, who were ordered to correct violations by May 11, or face possible civil fines, penalties or referral to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office or Corporation Counsel for legal action. Such forceful action should send a needed message to violators.

DPP’s building permit, issued on March 28, 2022, allowed for no more than six bathrooms. Dos-Santos and Mizuno looked at the plan submitted, and found what looked to be nine, with two “makeup rooms” and three “shower rooms” that were “clearly intended to be bathrooms.”

DPP Director Dawn Takeuchi Apuna said this project “may have slipped through the net.” That net needs mending.

Since last summer, DPP has put new systems in to catch potential monster homes during code review, and Takeuchi Apuna said the city will crack down on violators, warning: “Those who think they are above the law and can exceed codified development standards will be dealt with accordingly.”

The city must be held to that promise, and satisfy the public that using more third-party reviewers will solve problems, not enable more “incorrect” permit applications.

Bill 6, under consideration by the City Council, must include strict penalties, as Takeuchi Apuna has requested, for outside contractors who issue false statements to the city.

There are approximately 105 empty positions in DPP, worsening the problem. While the Hawaii Government Employees Association is pushing for rapid hiring, rather than contracting reviews, immediate action is required. Bill 6, which sunsets after seven years, allows DPP to attack its backlog of permit applications while shoring up operations. It’s worthy, and necessary.