By JOHN BURNETT Hawaii Tribune-Herald
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Connections Public Charter School officials, twice rebuffed for their plans to build a campus on 70-plus acres of leased state land in Kaumana, are set to submit a scaled-down proposal for a 15-acre campus.

“We’re closing in on a final draft of our application … that goes to the Planning Department and the (Windward) Planning Commission,” John Pipan, a private land-use planner hired by the school, told the Tribune-Herald earlier this month. “We’re wrapping up the last lingering elements that are required for it.

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“Previously, they had planned to use both parcels that are split by Edita Street. Now, everything is confined to the makai parcel and reduced in size, essentially.”

Plans to move the charter school from the Kress Building in downtown Hilo to the Edita Street site near the corner of Kaumana Drive in Hilo have been in the works since 2006. The leased state land is zoned agricultural, and plans for a project that large on the property require a special use permit from the state Land Use Commission.

That commission in January 2022 denied the school’s permit request via a 6-0 vote. Scaling back the project to 15 acres or less doesn’t require LUC approval, making the county Windward Planning Commission the final administrative authority.

Connections appealed the LUC’s denial of the permit to the state Supreme Court. The high court ordered mediation and in 2023 dismissed the school’s appeal.

Neighbors have opposed the school’s plans to build on the site, citing concerns about increased traffic, water availability, and the potential encroachment by the school on the neighborhood’s quiet lifestyle.

The original plans called for a student body of 381, a 30-bed dormitory, gym, cafeteria, library, caretaker’s residence and two parking lots with a total of 140 stalls. The estimated cost was $30 million.

The Windward Planning Commission in 2014 denied the school’s permit application. The school and its governing board appealed, and the Intermediate Court of Appeals remanded the matter back to the planning commission. The result was a 4-1 vote in 2021 by the WPC recommending approval of the permit, which was then unanimously rejected by the LUC.

Pipan and school officials held a meeting on Sept. 26 with neighbors and the community about the scaled-down plans, which school Director Damon Murphy said would likely cost somewhere between $2.5 million and $5 million.

“The tone of the meeting was very inquisitive, and there were some pointed questions, for sure — traffic being one of, if not the main points of concern,” Pipan said. “But Connections is proposing to shuttle students to greatly reduce the amount of traffic to the campus. So, it’s not going to be, like, everybody dropping their kids off. They’ll be shuttling vans and buses to the campus.”

Lincoln Gotshalk, a professor emeritus of kinesiology and exercise science at UH-Hilo and a neighbor of the proposed campus, wasn’t at the meeting, but said he understands the traffic concerns.

“Schools are necessary, and I like schools. But I’m not sure that’s a great place to put up a school, that close to Kaumana,” Gotshalk said. “The fact is, that’s sort of a dangerous road to begin with, because you’re coming down from the mountain, and it’s easy to go very fast and not know your speed. There are also portions of the road where you can’t see a great distance. … And that could be a factor because you’re going to get traffic that could be faster than the speed limits. People could be going 50 mph, and if the limit is going to be 25, because that’s usually what it is around schools, you’re not going to have many people doing 25 going downhill.

“I think that could be more than a distraction. It could be an irritation. And you could have an increased chance of injury or an accident.”

Murphy said most of the school’s students “rely on our buses to attend school.”

“Students arrive early enough on the buses that they can have breakfast. All students receive free meals,” Murphy said. “Those students attending classes at the Kaumana campus will be transported by our buses after the morning rush. Currently, we are planning to have them arrive at about 9 a.m. Lunches will be prepared at the Kress Building and transported to the Kaumana campus. Students will leave the Kaumana campus at about 2 p.m. each school day.

“For the past several years, we have had groups of our students working on agriculture and conservation projects at the Kaumana campus. We are very aware of the traffic patterns that could be adversely affected by our presence, and we avoid traveling during these peak times. We have had no complaints during the past years about the transportation of our students to Kaumana.”

Murphy said the school is a “good fit for the site” and hopes the community “will become warmer to us as they see the school evolve into an asset for the neighborhood.”

“Establishing our school on the Kaumana property presents a unique opportunity to immerse students in an agricultural environment that fosters holistic education,” he said. “The agricultural setting allows for project-based learning, promoting socio-emotional wellness and providing direct access to hands-on experiences in food production. Students will gain a deeper awareness of where their food comes from in the school gardens, enhancing community engagement and understanding of environmental sustainability.

“Additionally, the small size of our school enables us to accommodate non-bus-riding students by offering alternative pick-up and drop-off locations that can reduce traffic to and from the campus, ensuring accessibility for all. The Kaumana campus will not only enrich the educational landscape of East Hawaii but also serve as a valuable asset to the Kaumana area, promoting real-time scientific projects and encouraging a sustainable future.”

Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.