While it is understandable that Kiersten Faulkner and Mara Mulrooney take their position advocating for important historic and archaeological sites in Hawaii (“Emergency Proclamation Forces False Choice On Housing Versus Heritage”), the reality is that those laws Gov. Josh Green is suspending will improve the speed and cost of the delivery of housing to Hawaii’s residents and has a review process that protects historic and archeological sites.

The governor’s emergency proclamation addresses many of the regulatory barriers. Many of those barriers regarding historic preservation and archeological sites have been, in many instances, unnecessary. 

On many developments, hundreds of thousands of dollars and valuable time are wasted on studies and approvals. Take, for example, land that had been farmed for centuries that we try to convert to housing. Why do we need to have historic or archeological surveys? The land has been plowed over hundreds of times. But environmental assessments are required anyway.

We see archeologist creating work for themselves saying that a 100-year-old, dilapidated plantation home should preserved or studied further. Really? There is nothing historic about a rotting house. Take a picture of it and put it on your website before the termites leave and it falls down. 

A few years ago, my company was doing a rehab and preservation (preserve as affordable) of a 75-unit senior project in Kakaako. While Kakaako is known for iwi (bones), this site was dug up and built 30 years prior. Our plans called for putting some 6-inch paver blocks over our small grassed frontage so that our tenants would have a couple more spaces for visitors to park and drop off or pick up seniors.

In reviewing the plans, the State Historic Preservation Division required us to hire an archeologist to monitor the work at a cost of over $100,000. We argued that the sprinkler system was deeper than what we were proposing but ultimately had to remove that part of the renovation from our plans.

Developers could tell you hundreds of such stories. Yet these laws exist because there has been irresponsible development. However, the governor’s emergency proclamation gives us the ability to fast track land that common sense says the safeguards are not needed. 

I agree with the article that we should work to improve the existing historic preservation review. As a past president of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii, I’ve seen our Government Relations Committee work towards these ends only to be faced with extreme opposing positions by environmental and preservation groups.

NIMBYs apply political pressure to legislators and Honolulu City Council members to prevent lands that are not productive ag land from being re-zoned. And because only a small portion of Hawaii’s land is classified urban, preservationist create the economics that cause residential land to be so expensive.

Historic preservationist would have you believe “Hawaii’s Soul (is) Jeopardized.” I would argue that Hawaii loses her soul when more Native Hawaiians are living on the mainland than in Hawaii because of the high cost of housing. Hawaii loses her soul when our police, fire fighters, teachers, nurses, hotel workers and our children must move away because of the high cost of housing.

We need to thank Gov. Green and his housing chief Nani Medeiros for being brave enough to make this emergency proclamation. I’m sure they knew they were going to catch flak.