State Historic Preservation Division working to streamline Lahaina approvals

In an effort to reduce delays and frustration for residents and commercial property owners preparing to rebuild in fire-ravaged Lahaina, the DLNR State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD) is working to balance speed and efficiency with protection of historic and archeological resources, particularly iwi, department officials said.

“We are doing project reviews now with Maui County and other state agencies,” said SHPD Administrator Jessica Puff. The fires caused significant damage on the Lahaina National Historic Landmark District and two county historic districts. “There isn’t a lot of built environment left. So, the main thing that we’re talking about, is how can we move projects forward quickly while doing our due diligence to keep an eye out for any archaeology, or more importantly, iwi (human remains) that may be revealed during the construction process,” Puff explained.

SHPD is considering developing sensitivity maps and one archaeological monitoring plan that all residential and commercial property owners can use so they don’t have to develop and pay for individual ones.

“Sensitivity maps,” Puff says, “help predict the likelihood of property owners encountering iwi and whether or not further archaeological or cultural monitoring would be required. So, when a project comes to us for review we can easily determine the likelihood of someone encountering those issues.”

The division is in discussions with Maui County about how to plan and develop the mechanisms that will allow the county to determine the likelihood of encountering iwi or historic properties. “We envision a filtering mechanism where the county will decide projects that have a low probability of uncovering iwi, cultural, or historic artifacts and not send those reviews to SHPD. Only projects with the highest sensitivity or most like to encounter iwi will come to us for review,” Puff added.

She admits there have been some permits already received by SHPD that have taken time to process because the county has flagged them, or iwi have been detected on an adjoining property, suggesting a higher probability of encountering iwi close by.

Puff noted, “We are completing some reviews in a manner of days of 1-2 weeks and we’re communicating directly with applicants, as needed, to help walk them through the process and how to submit their projects to us in completed form.”