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Housing committee advances bill to streamline historic‑preservation reviews
Summary
The House Committee on Housing voted to pass SB 79 SD1 with amendments to clarify implementation; several state agencies and the private development lobby testified in support.
The House Committee on Housing on March 19 voted to pass SB 79 SD1, a measure the committee described as relating to historic‑preservation reviews, recommending the bill be advanced with amendments.
Committee Chair (House Committee on Housing) recommended passing SB 79 SD1 with an HD 1 and a defective date; the committee adopted the recommendation in a roll call noting three members excused.
The measure drew support from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC), the Department of Land and Natural Resources State Historic Preservation Division (DLNR/SHPD), and NIOP Hawaii. Evan Oi testified on behalf of NIOP Hawaii, saying, “We stand in strong support of this measure, which will help expedite, you know, a lot of the regulatory processes, at SHPD.” Oi also offered a technical suggestion about requiring complete and accurate applications.
No formal public testimony in opposition was recorded; the committee clerk noted one individual filed comments. After a brief question period in which members asked no questions on the record, the committee reconvened for decision making and the chair moved the recommendation to pass with amendments.
On the roll call the chair and vice chair voted aye; Representative Grandinetti, Representative Kiela, Representative LaChica and Representative Muraoka also voted aye. Representatives Cochran, Kinugawa, and Perrick were recorded as excused. The recommendation was adopted.
The record of testimony from state agencies and developer interests indicates support for the intent to expedite historic‑preservation review processes, and at least one witness asked the committee to consider language to ensure applications are complete before agency review. The committee did not record further debate or amendments on the public record beyond adopting the HD 1 as recommended.
