When Henry Eng first took the helm as director of the city's Department of Planning and Permitting four years ago, he had a number of goals in mind.

Having accomplished many of them, Eng retired yesterday.

DPP Deputy Director David Tanoue took over Eng's duties.

Looking back, Eng, 67, says streamlining the permitting process and implementing technology were two primary goals that were achieved.

Among other challenges that the department faced were a backlog of permits, a long wait time and shortage of staff.

“;In the beginning, there was some grumbling about lines,”; said Eng. “;The lines have largely dissipated as we've managed to shift a number of permits to online issuance. This has freed up staff to work on other permits.”;

All permits are now initially submitted online, which helps ease up the lines at the office.

Last month, more than a third of permits were issued on HONLINE - Honolulu's online system for submitting building permit applications.

The http://www.honoluludpp.org Web site allows individuals to submit applications, calculate fees and review details for existing applications and permits. They can see what customer number is being served at the Honolulu and Kapolei offices, and look up parcel and zoning information online.

This has been particularly helpful for the homeowner, who can apply for a permit online to do simple electrical and plumbing repairs instead of going to the office and standing in line.

  The Web site gets close to 2 million hits per month, said Eng.

The third-party review process also has made advances - more individuals are certified to conduct them and more permits have been issued through it.

During his reign, revenue for building permits increased to $17.3 million in 2007 from $12.2 million in 2005, according to Eng.

Retaining staff at the department always has been a challenge - due to competition from the private sector.

Eng inherited a staff of about 230, and now has about 264. He hired 90 new employees for the department, including some former Aloha Airlines workers, while 56 left the department.

He brought back some workers part time out of retirement to help guide people out of the permit process.

When he first started in 2005, Eng sought $15.7 million for the department's operating budget in fiscal year 2006, $2.4 million more than the previous fiscal year. In 2007, the budget increased to about $20 million.

He also made it a priority to meet with key industry leaders.

“;My staff and I have met regularly with industry and professional representatives just to keep tabs on what's happening,”; said Eng. “;This has proven to be a beneficial relationship.”;

The new director of DPP will have a whole new set of issues to tackle - among them legislative proposals for bed and breakfasts, transit-oriented development and amendments for the new requirements for historic properties.

The department also has embraced green technologies, including solar photovoltaic systems, which are exempt from building permit fees. But there are bound to be new technologies in the pipeline.

“;Going forward, the department will face new challenges, I'm sure, in addition to the ones currently pending,”; he said.

He declined to comment on the governor's $1.8 billion capital improvement plan, saying he hasn't had a chance to review it yet, but that the city undoubtedly has plans to boost the economy as well.

When Eng assumed the role as director, he had 15 years of private-sector experience from the Campbell Estate, along with 20 years working for city government.

His decision to retire after the four-year term was a personal one in order to relax and travel.

“;I feel a sense of achievement,”; he said. “;I've gotten the department to work better as a team. Many of the people here I've worked with during my first tour of duty and they have helped tremendously - it's been a team effort and, yes, I am proud of it.”;