The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the House Committee on Housing on Jan. 31, 2025.
_____________
Jan. 31, 2025, 9:15 a.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 430 and Videoconference
To: House Committee on Housing
Rep. Luke Evslin, Chair
Rep. Tyson Miyake, Vice-Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: HB737 — RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Aloha Chair Evslin, Vice-Chair Miyake and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports HB737, which would change the definition of historic property.
Currently, “historic property” is defined as “any building, structure, object, district, area, or site, including heiau and underwater site, which is over fifty years old.”
HB737 would add to the end of the definition: “and meets the integrity and significance criteria to be placed onto the Hawaii register of historic places, as determined by department staff or a qualified professional, as set forth by the department, or has important value to Native Hawaiians or other ethnic groups of the State due to associations with cultural practices once carried out, or still being carried out, at the property or due to associations with traditional beliefs, events, or oral accounts that are important to the group’s history, traditional practices, and cultural identity.”
The bill would also exempt existing single-family detached dwellings and townhomes from historic review unless they are considered “historic property.” Currently, projects involving these types of houses are exempt only when they are less than 50 years old, meaning many properties built prior to 1975 would require review even if they have no historical significance.
On Oahu alone, there are 135,553 parcels improved with a single living unit, including single condominium units, in residential zones. Of these, 80,870 — almost 60% — were built in 1975 or before. Just 55,074 — about 41% — were built in 1976 or after.[1]
And the number of parcels that could be subject to SHPD review will only increase as Hawaii’s housing stock ages. In 2026, the 1,585 dwellings built in 1976 will become candidates for SHPD review any time their owners file for permits to conduct work on them.
The sheer magnitude of projects that could be subject to SHPD review under the current definition helps explain why reviews often take months.
While SHPD’s average review times for projects are not readily available, the agency noted in its report to the 2023 Legislature that its archaeology reviews were taking between six months and one year, on average.[2] The agencies’ historic property reviews were not listed in the report, but it is reasonable to believe they could take months.
Collectively, these changes could streamline the approval process for new housing while preserving protections for historic properties and artifacts.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
_____________
[1] Hawaii Information Service database, accessed Jan. 30, 2024. Figures exceed 100% because some parcels with a single living unit have multiple buildings with multiple construction dates, resulting in double counting. A subscription is needed to access the data.
[2] “Report to the Thirty-Second Legislature 2023 Regular Session on the State Historic Preservation Program For Fiscal Year 2021-2022,” Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, October 2022, p. 1.
