The Department of Education is recommending three pieces of property, including the former Queen Liliuokalani School in Kaimuki, for possible redevelopment to generate money for public education.
The proposal will be put to a vote today at a Board of Education meeting. The sites are disclosed in a presentation posted on the board’s website.
None of the plans would displace students. The parcels are used for Department of Education staff offices, warehouse and facilities maintenance space, and other services.
Liliuokalani School closed in 2011 with just 97 students, and its 2.7-acre campus at 3633 Waialae Ave. now houses staff in school facilities and support services, security and emergency preparedness, and the department’s data center. The proposal calls for possible up-zoning of the site to BMX-4, or business mixed use.
Another parcel being considered, 6.5 acres at 475 22nd Ave. in Kahala, is being used by the Office of Curriculum, Instruction and Student Support. The Department of Education is considering working with the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. to redevelop it, possibly for teacher housing.
The third site, a 4.6-acre parcel at 4087 Diamond Head Road, is being used by the Department of Education’s Facilities Maintenance Branch, and includes storage, warehouse, workshop and staff space. It potentially could be paired with the 22nd Avenue parcel nearby.
Act 155, passed in 2013, gave the Department of Education authority to launch a pilot program to redevelop underused school property. It allows the department to lease public school land for three sites. The goal is to generate revenue for new construction and improvements to schools.
The Board of Education’s Finance and Infrastructure Committee meets at 11 a.m. at 1390 Miller St., followed by the full board at 1:30 p.m. The presentation can be found online at boe.hawaii.gov under “meetings.”
