Grant Chung, nominee to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation board, appeared before the Senate Committee on Housing on April 10, 2025. The committee moved to advise and consent to his appointment and adopted the recommendation.

Chung described his background in real estate and nonprofit housing work and told senators he was prepared to help the agency address financing and pipeline issues. Committee members pressed him on the causes of development delays and asked whether state-level permitting or changes to lending priorities could speed construction.

Why it matters: HHFDC stewards significant state housing financing, including long-term low-interest gap loans. Senators queried ways to accelerate revolving funds and to prioritize income-blind or revenue-neutral products so that public funds can be redeployed more quickly to build housing.

Key points from the hearing

- Chung cited experience leading housing organizations and private-sector development work. He said permitting-review timelines — which can exceed a year for complex multifamily projects — are a significant bottleneck on Maui and Oahu.

- Senators discussed the possibility of a state permitting office for state-funded projects and reconfiguring the Rental Housing Revolving Fund (RHRF) priorities to allow shorter-term loans that would revolve faster and finance more units over time. Chung said the idea “intuitively” made sense but that details and resources would determine whether it worked.

Committee action

- GM 736 (Grant Chung) — Chair’s recommendation: advise and consent. The chair recorded an aye vote and the committee adopted the recommendation.

Provenance (transcript excerpts)

- Topic intro (nominee statement): "Good afternoon, mister chair, vice chair, and members of the committee. I am Grant Chan and, appreciate your time and consideration, in this appointment. I've accepted the nomination and would be, pleased to be able to serve the people of the state of Hawaii in this manner. Thank you." (Transcript block at 1880.12)

- Select questioning excerpt (permitting and revolving funds): "…the review period for a building permit, even for a single family residence, is at least a year. And, for something more complex, like a multifamily, affordable housing, complex, you'd be lucky to have your documents reviewed within a year." (Transcript block starting at 2286.9548)

Speakers relevant to this article: [{"name":"Grant Chung","role_title":"Nominee, HHFDC board","affiliation_type":"citizen","affiliation_name":"Former executive in housing and real estate","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:31:20","transcript_line_range":[94,94]}},{"name":"Senator (questioner)","role_title":"Senator (permitting/finance questions)","affiliation_type":"government","affiliation_name":"Senate Committee on Housing","first_reference":{"timecode":"00:38:59","transcript_line_range":[124,124]}}]

Authorities: [{"type":"other","name":"GM 736: Nomination of Grant Chung to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation board","citation":"GM 736","referenced_by":["chung-nomination-hhfdc-2025-04-10"]}]

Actions: [{"kind":"appointment","identifiers":{"agenda_item_id":"GM736","resolution_number":"GM 736"},"motion":"Chair's recommendation to advise and consent to Grant Chung for the HHFDC board","mover":"","second":"","vote_record":[{"member":"LaFonte","member_id":"","seat":"","vote":"yes"}],"tally":{"yes":1,"no":0,"abstain":0,"absent":0,"recused":0},"legal_threshold":{"required":"simple_majority","met":true,"notes":"Chair recorded an aye vote; recommendation adopted."},"effective_dates":{"effective_on":"2025-04-10","sunset_on":"2025-04-10"},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Chung answered questions on permitting delays and financing reforms; recommendation adopted."}]

Clarifying details extracted from the hearing: [{"category":"permitting_delay","detail":"Permitting review timelines can be at least a year for single-family and over a year for complex multifamily projects on Maui and Oahu","value":"approx. 1+ year review","units":"year","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"Grant Chung"},{"category":"funding_initiative","detail":"Discussion of faster-revolving loans and income-blind revenue-neutral projects to accelerate housing construction (concept under consideration)","value":"not specified","units":"","approximate":true,"source_speaker":"committee member"}]

Proper names: [{"name":"Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation","type":"agency"},{"name":"Hale Maha'u","type":"organization"},{"name":"Rental Housing Revolving Fund","type":"program"}]

Meeting context: {"engagement_level":{"speakers_count":2,"duration_minutes":30,"items_count":1},"implementation_risk":"medium","history":[{"date":"2025-04-10","note":"Nominee discussed pipeline delays, permitting and potential funding reforms; committee advised and consented."}]}

Searchable tags:["GM736","Grant Chung","HHFDC","permitting delays","RHRF","housing finance"],