Honolulu faces a critical question: Can small, second homes on existing lots — accessory dwelling units — relieve our ongoing housing shortage?
After nearly a decade of allowing ADUs, the city has permitted only about 1,320 units since 2015, far below initial expectations. This shortfall suggests that the state’s 2024 mandate to allow two per lot will need stronger follow-through to meet its goals.
As Civil Beat’s Ben Angarone reported, Honolulu has fallen short of expectations for ADUs because of familiar constraints. These include sewer-capacity triage, small lot sizes, high construction costs and a sluggish permitting system. The city also shelved an initiative to provide pre-approved ADU plans this year after industry pushback…