Ian Kealoha is the type of homeowner the city likes to see. Looking to offset his mortgage, he decided to build a rental unit on his lot in Wahiawā. But it took him more than four years to get a permit and finish construction.
Accessory dwelling units – as independent living structures erected on residential properties are known – have been touted as a way to help ease an escalating housing crisis on Hawaiʻi’s most populous island by increasing density.
To encourage the practice, state legislators last year passed a law requiring Honolulu and other counties to allow people to build two of them. Meanwhile, the city is struggling to persuade people to build just one…