I am contemplating purchasing land to build a house and some other things, in an area zoned as a specific category of conservation by the state, which would require permits for construction. Note that this is separate from the county zoning concerns and building permit process that 99.9% of people in Hawaii have questions about.
All the things I want to build are on the list of “it’s possible to apply for a permit for this thing” for the zone in question, and I’ve spoken to someone at the DLNR/OCCL to confirm at least that much, but they can’t or won’t give any further advice. I’ve also spoken to real estate agents and brokers, mortgage agents and brokers, and a couple of real estate attorneys. They all strongly suggest that there is some professional specialty that could help me, but can’t or won’t make a referral to a specific person or firm.
Who do I need to be talking to? I’m looking for someone who might be able to tell me “they never grant that kind of permit” or “everyone who gets that permit approved uses X design or Y builder” or “you’re much more likely to succeed if you change Z part of your plan” or “you can do something very similar with this other much easier permit”. This would probably also be the same person I could hire to help with filling out and filing the permit applications, after I’ve figured out what it would be best to apply for.
The forms in question are at https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/occl/forms-2/ if that helps clarify what I’m looking for.