Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Historic Properties Identification and Context Studies

 

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has entered into a Programmatic Agreement (PA) titled: Programmatic Agreement Among the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Hawaiʻi State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) for the Expenditure of HUD-Provided Funds Under the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA). Stipulation II of the PA requires the DHHL to prepare a Historic Properties Identification and Context Study (HPI&C Study) for those Entitlement Communities exceeding 50 years old to identify if there are historic properties listed or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The HPI&C Study provides a professional opinion on the types of HUD-funded activities, projects, or grants that may be carried out under the terms of the PA or if the DHHL must assume its responsibilities pursuant to 36 CFR 800.13(b). Additionally, the HPI&C Study identifies and evaluates the full-range of historic properties, as defined in 36 C.F.R. §800.16 (I)(1), that includes any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object included in, or eligible for inclusion in, the NRHP.

 

In 2024, DHHL began the necessary steps to complete an HPI&C Study for each of the three Entitlement Communities on Oʻahu: Nānākuli, Papakōlea, and Waimānalo. In October 2024, DHHL staff accompanied an archaeologist and architectural surveyors on site visits to each Entitlement Community to gather information about the architecture, history, cultural context, and any other information that may have been pertinent to identifying and assessing potentially significant historic resources of each community. The activities included a windshield survey wherein the group documented homes through photographs, notes, geographic data collection, and speaking with members of the community.

Once completed, a draft HPI&C Study for each Entitlement Community will be uploaded to the DHHL website for a 30-day review period during which the public can provide comments on the respective HPI&C Study.  

The first Entitlement Community with a completed draft HPI&C Study is Nānākuli. For more information and to provide comments on the Nānākuli HPI&C Study, please visit: DRAFT Historic Properties Identification and Context Study for Nanakuli. We will be accepting comments until July 12th, 2025.