The Hawaii State Historic Preservation Division has come up with a list of home-improvement projects, including solar photovoltaic installations, interior renovations for mid and high-rise buildings and bathroom and kitchen repairs, that have no potential to affect historic properties based on previous reviews and staff judgement.
The new list is aimed at easing the burden of unnecessary reviews on owners of homes built 50 years ago or more across Hawaii, reducing the demands on staff time in county planning departments and decreasing the need for SHPD architecture staff to do unnecessary reviews.
It also will allow SHPD to focus its efforts on the projects that have a real potential to affect historic properties and to engage in proactive preservation activities, the state agency said.
Once the final list is compiled, it will be given to the state agencies with permitting authority and the four county planning offices for implementation.
SHPD has opened a comment period for the new list until Nov. 28. Comments should be sent to Anna Broverman.
The SHPD Architecture Branch spends about 80 percent of its time reviewing permits on homes that are 50 years old or older.
During the last fiscal year that ended June 30, the branch reviewed about 6,000 projects, 3,670 of which were reviewed in accordance with the law.
Most of the projects reviewed involved additions or alterations to homes that range from interior electrical upgrades to demolition.
SHPD said its analysis of these reviews shows that the majority result in a determination of “no historic properties affected.”
Additionally, this analysis indicates that some types of projects always result in a “no historic properties affected” determination.
Other projects on the new list include installation of electrical meters, interior electrical upgrades, demolition of additions and detached structures less than 50 years of age, in-kind repairs of interior and exterior features such as doors, windows, siding, fascia and decking, antenna and satellite dish replacements on existing towers and structures not subject to FCC permits, in-kind repairs to carports and garages and the enclosure of existing rear lanai.
The Building Industry Association of Hawaii and historic preservation officials in the state have not seen eye to eye on this issue.
BIA-Hawaii contends that the 2008 law mandates that SHPD complete a time-consuming review of a potential historic home’s building permit application if a homeowner plans to renovate or rebuild their home.
Duane Shimogawa Reporter – Pacific Business News
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