Renovations of Leeward Community College’s new Waianae satellite campus, which are meant to relieve overcrowding at the current temporary campus and pave the way to double student enrollment, are scheduled to start this month.

Officials expect phase one of the renovations to be completed by February 2017, and will start offering classes at the new location in fall 2017. Phase-two construction work, which is currently under design, is expected to start in summer or fall 2017 and be finished by fall 2018.

The move to a permanent Waianae campus became a reality when the state purchased the 2.5 acres that house the 38,600-square-foot vacant Tycom building on Kulaaupuni Street next to Maili Elementary School for $2.5 million in 2014. The Legislature appropriated $3 million for phase-one renovations. LCC also received a $10 million federal grant for both its Pearl City and Waianae campuses, some of which will be used for phase-two work.

“I think it’s a better area than where they’re at now so they can establish it as a higher-ed learning facility,” said state Rep. Andria Tupola, a member of the House’s Higher Education Committee. Tupola (R, Kalae- loa-Ko Olina-Maili) recalled the challenges of teaching music classes in the crowded Waianae satellite campus classrooms, adding that the space next to the Waianae Mall Shopping Center vacated by the school could provide small businesses with opportunities to move in.

LCC has operated a satellite campus in a two-story building next to Waianae Mall since 1991, leasing about 10,000 square feet of classroom, lab and office space for more than 500 students each semester.

Officials hope the permanent facility with room for expansion will help expand the college’s programs and support services, said Mark Lane, LCC’s vice chancellor of administrative services, in a statement. The facility will include a learning resource center, student lounge, testing center, additional classrooms and about 100 parking stalls.

State Sen. Maile Shimabukuro (D, Kalaeloa-Waianae-Makaha) said the move has been a long time coming.

“It was clear to the UH that there were major needs in Waianae,” Shimabukuro said. “The need for access to higher education is great.”

Once renovations are complete, long-term goals include doubling the college’s enrollment to 1,000 students per semester; expanding curriculum in liberal arts, STEM and career and technical education fields; and introducing workforce development training opportunities.

Some community members have raised concerns about public transportation to the new site and potential impacts on Waianae town tied to moving the campus to Maili. Lane said officials plan to talk with the city about bus routes to the Maili campus and are looking into alternative transportation options.

The Waianae Coast Neighborhood Board did not take a position on the relocation effort after a 2013 LCC presentation. But Calvin Endo, chairman of the board’s education committee, said Friday that purchasing the land rather then renting space is better in the long term, calling it “a good move.” He noted that transportation is a lingering concern but said he thinks “they’re going to work it out.”

Richard Medeiros, chairman of the Nanakuli/Maili Neighborhood Board’s education committee, said the new location is ideal because it’s near Maili Elementary rather than in a commercial area. The board voted to support the project in 2013.

On Friday, Medeiros said that although the current site is convenient for Waianae and Makaha residents, the new location “serves the entire community in a more centralized location (along the Waianae Coast).”