PD BACKGROUND REPORT (SPP-21-228)

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!. INTRODUCTION The Arts & Sciences Center ("applicant") is requesting a Special Permit for the operation of an elementary school campus on the subject parcel measuring 2.311 acres in Kea'au, Hawaii. The property is located at 16-1678 3411 Avenue, approximately 1,040 feet west of the intersection of Orchidland Drive and the Kea'au Pahoa Road (Figure 1). The proposed school campus will serve as the elementary campus for the Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences (HAAS). On June, 21 2001, the Hawaii State Board of Education issued a charter to The Hawaii Academy of Arts and Sciences (HAAS). From the first day students attended HAAS, it has been offering unique programs to ensure quality education For the children of the community. HAAS's main 7-12 campus, located in Pahoa at the Arts and Sciences Center, continues to develop into a center for improved student learning, enhanced achievement and development of strong moral values. HAAS strives to produce citizens with the skills and desires to make the world a better place. The mission of HAAS is to educate, enrich, and inspire the whole student to thrive by understanding the past, navigating the present, and preparing for the future. The school has weathered many challenges in the recent past with hurricanes, lava flows and now the COVID-19 pandemic. While adapting to the challenges presented the children are learning valuable lessons about resiliency and persistence. In 1994 Special Permit (no. 870) was granted approval for the operation of a regional trade center on the subject property (SPP 94-3) That project was never fully realized though considerable infrastructure was installed including two steel frame structures, septic systems, utility stub-ups and drainage structures. The applicant wishes to complete infrastructure improvements and develop the site into an elementary school campus serving the Kea'au- Pahoa Area. Currently HAAS is divided over several satellite locations. The proposed project would allow for HAAS to consolidate its elementary campus, simplifying operations and better serving the children. The Arts & Sciences Center plans to lease the site from the landowner 130 Holdings LLC, allowing for the establishment of the HAAS Elementary Campus- 4