Kamehameha Schools is seeking public input on its proposed Keauhou Bay management plan to build a boutique resort while moving traffic and commercial activities away from the Hawaii island bayfront’s historical and cultural sites.

The plan is an outgrowth of efforts begun by Kameha­meha Schools in 2018 to develop a management strategy to balance congestion and competing interests at Keauhou Bay, which is highly used by residents, visitors and community groups.

The landowner said it wants to “reinvigorate and transform the Keauhou Bay area to become a place where culture and education is celebrated and highlighted amidst viable commercial operations, which are essential to fund the cultural and educational programming within the immediate area.”

The Hawaii County Planning Department determined earlier this month that an environmental impact statement is required for the project, which encompasses approximately 29 of the 54 acres that Kamehameha Schools owns at Keauhou Bay on the Kona Coast.

Prominent Honolulu- based architecture firm G70 has filed an EIS preparation notice on behalf of Kamehameha Schools for the proposed project. Comments on the plan are due April 22.

Officials will hold an EIS public scoping meeting via Zoom from 6 to 8 p.m. April 11. The goal of the meeting is to assist Kamehameha Schools in determining a range of actions, alternatives, significant issues and proposed mitigation to include in the draft EIS.

Construction is targeted to start sometime between 2023 and 2025, provided state and county permits are obtained and market conditions are favorable for development.

According to the preparation notice, mauka of the Old Kona Road, Kameha­meha Schools is proposing to develop a sustainable, low-rise boutique resort with 150 units spread across 43 two-story, four-plex bungalows on 8 acres overlooking Keauhou Bay.

The resort will have an approximately 14,500- square-foot main reception building where guests check in. The building will also contain a food and beverage venue, meeting facilities, a wellness pavilion, administrative offices and back-of-house and storage spaces.

An infinity pool and deck will front the reception building. Parking and loading spaces will be available at the makai portion of the property off of Old Kona Road.

The plan also calls for existing commercial tenants to be relocated to a new facility with 9,520 square feet of commercial space and a 3,000-square-foot fine-dining restaurant on underutilized land to the south of the bay. Ten commercial kiosks for ocean recreational activity check-in points or food and craft stands would be allowed on the north side of the bay.

This is part of Kameha­meha Schools’ plan to move commercial activities away from culturally sensitive areas to alleviate congestion and establish a new place-based cultural educational center.

“The new heritage center will be utilized to honor and enrich the history and living legacy of excellence in this wahi pana, and to provide a place of learning and connection for locals, lineal descendants, and visitors alike,” the notice said.

Keauhou Bay has a rich history as the birthplace of Kamehameha III.

Kamehameha Schools said it also wants to improve the experience at Keauhou Bay and reorient recreational and community use along the bayfront by establishing a mauka-to-makai corridor that connects to a 100-foot-wide shoreline park that will continue to support the activities of the Keauhou Canoe Club.

The plan also seeks to manage vehicular, boat and pedestrian circulation. In anticipation of future resort development on the bluff, Kamehameha Schools plans to turn Old Kona Road into the primary vehicular and pedestrian circulation route.