HONOLULU(KHON2) — There are big plans in the works for the old St. Francis School campus in Manoa. But residents have concerns about how a new development could impact the community.
St. Francis School campus in Manoa has been sitting idle for about five years. But the recent sale of the property to local development firm Avalon Group could breath new life into the 11 acre site.
The property, which is zoned for residential use, was purchased for $23 million according to brokerage firm CBRE. And the developer is looking to build a slew of single family homes to be purchased for roughly $2 million a piece.
Ellen Sofio has lived across from the property for the past 20 years.
“It makes me really sad,” Sofio said. “It’s a beautiful tranquil location. its served the community in so many ways over the years everything from the school to the swim school.”
According to Sofio, the property has historic significance and should be treated as such.
“It would be very ashamed if anything other than a preservation oriented approach to be taken,” she said.