WAILUKU >> State officials say they’ll open a new burial site in September to provide much-needed space at Maui’s only cemetery for veterans.

Veterans had voiced concerns in December that they would have to be buried elsewhere due to limited space at Maui Veterans Cemetery.

“No veterans’ families will be turned away at this point, and based on the work that’s already been done, we should be able to accommodate veterans families through September,” state Department of Defense spokesman Lt. Col. Charles Anthony said last week.

A $6 million project to expand the cemetery resumed in February after it stalled in November, when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs found it to be in violation of federal historic preservation laws.

An association for the neighboring 19th-century Makawao Cemetery had sued federal and state agencies, arguing the expansion would degrade the cemetery’s historic charm. Representatives from both cemeteries have met to discuss ways to mitigate any adverse impacts, the Maui News reported Monday.

Association attorney Isaac Hall said, “By allowing them to build the crypts so they can continue to bury their loved ones, we’re hoping they will accommodate our needs as well.”

Hall said the group agreed to allow the expansion project to proceed, as long as there was no construction near a parking lot, a primary concern for the association.