The Episcopal Church in Hawaii is buying the road that loops around Queen Emma Square Park from the city for $116,640 and wants a long-term state lease on the park itself, which was given for public use by King Kamehameha IV in 1858.
The moves mean the loss of 15 metered parking stalls and would give the church control of the minipark, a grassy lawn fringed by peach-colored shower trees that borders St. Andrew’s Cathedral and the St. Andrew’s Schools on Queen Emma Street.
The Episcopal Church sought the changes after numerous trespassing incidents at properties surrounding the park, which include the cathedral, St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church and St. Paul’s Church.
"What the church and the other entities are doing is taking control of the square for the purposes of providing security, mainly for the students in the schools, but also for all the other users around the square," said Ivan Lui-Kwan, chairman emeritus of the St. Andrew’s Schools, who has led the effort to seek government approvals.
There were 88 security incidents logged over an 18-month period that ended June 30, or nearly five a month, according to a report presented by Lui-Kwan to the City Council. Most were for trespassing, but there were three theft reports and one case of damage to a stained-glass window in the cathedral.
Bishop Robert Fitzpatrick of the Episcopal Church told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the public will still have access to the park.
"It will be a public green space open to the community but closed at night, better monitored during the day and more fully maintained," he said. "Our desire is for a well-cared-for green space in the heart of the city, serving the community just as the churches and the schools on the square have since 1867."
Along with trees and the green sward, the 25,193-square-foot park features a bust of Queen Emma, landscaping and benches. A faded green sign at the entrance reads, "This park was given for public use by King Kamehameha IV in 1858 and named in honor of his queen."
"My hope is that the park will be beautified and made more welcoming so that the public can better enjoy it for strolls or to see the queen’s bust," Fitzpatrick said.
There are now 15 metered public parking stalls plus three spaces reserved for use by the Honolulu Police Department on Queen Emma Square Road. After buying the roadway, the church will make nine stalls available to police, who often park there while testifying in nearby District Court. There will be no parking for the general public.
An appraisal done for the church had pegged the road’s value at $22,000 as preservation property, but the city asked for $116,640 based on the projected revenue stream from the parking meters.
The City Council voted unanimously Sept. 10 to approve the sale of the road. The church obtained the support of the Downtown Neighborhood Board in July.
The city Department of Transportation Services did a parking survey and had no objection to the changes.
"They determined there were sufficient parking stalls in the area, so taking 15 stalls out of the inventory was not going to be an issue," Lui-Kwan said.
Tom Smyth, a longtime member of the neighborhood board, said it was one of the more innocuous issues to come before the board, with buyer and seller in agreement.
"It is not a heavily used area," he said. "There aren’t stores there. You have the church and St. Andrew’s Schools. It’s not huge public pressure to say we need more parking spaces here."
He added, "I haven’t seen any activity on that park, and I walk around there fairly often."
Both the state and the Episcopal Church claim ownership of the park.
"Instead of fighting over who owns that land, what we agreed is we will enter into a long-term lease with the state as a charitable organization," Lui-Kwan said. Such leases are typically at nominal rates.
In a letter dated Aug. 12 to the Department of Land and Natural Resources asking to lease the park, the Episcopal Church and St. Andrew’s Schools said no substantial improvements are planned.
The request is under review, and government agencies were asked to comment on it by the end of this month. If there are no objections, the lease request is expected to be heard by the Board of Land and Natural Resources at its Oct. 24 meeting, according to spokeswoman Deborah Ward.
The public may submit testimony to kuulei.n.moses@hawaii.gov once the board’s agenda is posted Oct. 17 and may also testify in person at the meeting.
