Three Practical Fixes to Jumpstart Honolulu’s Housing Supply

By Dr. Inam Rahman, MD

Hawaiʻi’s housing crisis isn’t unsolvable, it’s stuck in slow motion.

Every month, local families leave for the continent – not because they want to, but because housing costs have made staying home impossible. This is both an economic and moral failure.

The good news is that Honolulu doesn’t need miracles or mega-projects. We can take three steps right now to expand supply, cut costs, and keep housing rooted in local ownership.

1. Permitting delays kill housing.The average building permit in Honolulu can take 12 to 18 months — sometimes longer. Each delay adds tens of thousands of dollars to construction costs, pushing homes further out of reach for local families.The city’s new online permitting platform is a good start, but deeper reform is needed:

   1) Approve housing “by right” when it meets objective zoning and affordability standards; 2) Add plan reviewers and modernize workflows to clear the backlog; 3) Create a Fast-Track Lane for affordable and workforce housing near rail and major bus corridors.

   Speeding up approvals by even 50% could bring homes to market faster and lower per-unit costs by up to $50,000.

2. We don’t allow enough homes where people already live and work.We need to allow duplexes, townhomes, and small multifamily buildings on lots currently zoned for single-family use, especially within a half mile of rail stations. These neighborhoods already have infrastructure, schools, and jobs in place. 

   We can also empower residents to help. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) – small rental cottages or ʻohana units – can provide both homeowner stability and new long-term rentals.

   By removing parking minimums and streamlining ADU permitting, Honolulu could see 8,000 to 10,000 new homes built quietly within existing communities – housing that fits the local scale and spirit of place.

3. Use Public Land for Public Good
   The biggest driver of Hawaiʻi’s unaffordable housing is land cost. The state and city already own thousands of acres of underused land – especially near rail. 

   Through an approach inspired by the ALOHA Homes model, government can lease public land long term while selling or renting homes at cost to local residents. The state keeps the land in public trust, preventing speculation, while families gain stable, affordable homeownership.

   Imagine 5,000 new mid-rise apartments and townhomes near rail stations — walkable, transit-friendly, reserved for residents, and permanently affordable because the land never enters the speculative market.

   This isn’t theory. It’s happening successfully in Singapore and parts of Europe — and Hawaiʻi already has draft legislation to pilot it. All it needs now is leadership and urgency.

The Path Forward

Together, these could unlock more than 15,000 new homes for local families in less than a decade.

These aren’t partisan ideas; they’re practical solutions rooted in fairness and sustainability. Every month of inaction adds cost, displaces families, and chips away at our sense of belonging.

Hawaiʻi’s housing shortage is solvable if we act with courage, coordination, and urgency. We owe that to our keiki and to the next generation who deserve a future – and a home – here in the islands.

Dr. Inam U. Rahman, MD, is a Honolulu-based community advocate, physician, and policy contributor in Hawaiʻi. This haʻi manaʻo was also published in “Civil Beat” in October 2025.