The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the House Committee on Water and Land on Feb. 4, 2025.
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Feb. 4, 2025, 9 a.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 411 and Videoconference
To: House Committee on Water and Land
Rep. Mark Hashem, Chair
Rep. Rachele Lamosao, Vice-Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: HB533 — RELATING TO HISTORIC PROPERTY
Aloha Chair Hashem, Vice-Chair Lamosao and other members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports HB533, 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.”
HB533 would amend the definition to read as follows: “any building, structure, object, district, area, or site, including heiau and underwater site, which predates Statehood Day, August 21, 1959, and, with respect to buildings and structures, is registered on the Hawaii register of historic places.”
This change would exempt a number of properties from historic review, since the 50-year threshold means that any structure built in 1975 or earlier must be reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Division, unless it is a single-family dwelling or townhome that qualifies for an exemption under state law.[1]
On Oahu alone, there are 8,583 improved parcels in the industrial, commercial and hotel and resort property tax classes. Of these, 4,524 — 52.7%% — host buildings built in 1975 or before. Meanwhile, 4,315 — 50.3% — host buildings constructed in 1976 or later.
Compare this to the definition change proposed by HB533. In these tax classes, just 1,773 — 20.7%% — host buildings built in 1959 or before, while 7,045 — 82.1%% — host buildings constructed in 1960 or later.[2]
The sheer magnitude of projects that could be subject to SHPD review under the current definition helps explain why reviews often take months — and why an exemption could speed the process.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] 6E-42.2 Excluded activities for privately-owned single-family detached dwelling units and townhouses., Hawaii Revised Statutes, accessed Jan. 31, 2025.
[2] Hawaii Information Service database, accessed Jan. 31, 2024. Figures exceed 100% because some parcels in a given tax class have multiple buildings with multiple construction dates, resulting in double counting. A subscription is needed to access the data.
