HI HB738

Establishes expedited historic preservation review process for majority-residential mixed-use and residential transit-oriented development projects in county-designated transit-oriented development zones with low risk of affecting historic resources

Requires Department of Land and Natural Resources to provide written concurrence or non-concurrence within 90 days (or 30 days if no historic properties affected); failure to respond allows lead agency to assume concurrence and proceed

Authorizes lead agencies, including county governments, to make initial determinations on potential project effects on historic properties, aviation artifacts, and burial sites

Exempts projects with written concurrence from further department review unless there is a change to physical scope, project area, or discovery of additional historic properties, aviation artifacts, or burial sites (with 48-hour notification and 5-business-day response requirements for post-review discoveries)

Requires counties to submit parcels near mass transit stations for programmatic review by January 1, 2026, with department classification of parcels into three risk categories within six months; lower-risk parcels qualifying for expedited review must reach substantial construction by June 30, 2036