KAILUA, KONA, Hawai'i — A local nonprofit volunteer organization has big plans for a swath of land north of Kailua, Kona.

The Kealakehe Ahupua'a 2020 Foundation is proposing to turn more than 200 acres of land between Honokohau Harbor and Kealakehe High School into a public cultural park that would include an educational center, a botanical/horticultural display garden, research facilities, restaurants and an amphitheater.

A county plan to turn the land into a municipal golf course that would have used processed waste water from the nearby treatment plant has been stalled for more than a decade.

David Kawika Marquez, executive director of the foundation, said his group's proposed project would be a better use of the land. The plan has been garnering positive feedback from the community, as well as county and state officials, he said.

"The momentum is picking up," Marquez said. "The opportunities have endless potential. We want it to be a centerpiece for West Hawai'i's future."

The plan focuses on showcasing Hawai'i's diverse plant life, with a display garden helping to support the nurseries and research facilities.

Research opportunities abound in botany, environmental science, horticulture and related fields, Marquez said.

"We want to create an environment for endangered plants to propagate," he said.

In addition to the botanical/ horticultural elements, Marquez said the complex would include such revenue-generating operations as a conference center, a pavilion, retail center and a teaching restaurant for culinary students to gain professional experience.

The amphitheater could also host concerts and theatrical performances that otherwise might not be presented to the West Hawai'i community, he said. The conference center and pavilion could be used to conduct classes and demonstrations focused on Native Hawaiian activities and history.

Classes and programs could be designed for visitors, residents, school-age children and advanced researchers in varied fields, he said.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has plans to expand its Villages of Laiopua, just east of the park, and three schools also are in the vicinity, Marquez said, making it an ideal site to marry educational and cultural activities.

"We see it as a win-win situation," he said. "There are any number of opportunities."

The stretch of Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway between the airport and Kailua, Kona, is experiencing a development boom, with at least three other major residential projects planned. In addition, new construction continues at Kaloko Industrial Park, just to the north.

Directly across the highway, Honokohau Harbor is awaiting construction of an expanded marina with 800 boat slips and the addition of commercial villages, a golf course and condominium units. Atlanta-based Jacoby Development Inc. is spearheading the development.

The final phase of Lokahi Makai is beginning. That project includes 191 single-family homes at the intersection of the highway and Kaiminani Drive.

Farther north, on the ocean side of the highway, plans for the Shores at Kohanaiki are taking shape. Rutter Development of California has 500 home lots, a golf course and shoreline park earmarked for the 450-acre parcel.

Also, with more than 1.5 million visitors driving the highway between the airport and Kailua, Kona, the proposed cultural park could serve as an introduction to the Hawaiian way of life, Marquez said.

"We are such a separated society on a global level, but I want West Hawai'i to set an example," he said. "Our purpose is to see how we can create a self-sustaining community."

Marquez said he has visited a similar project at the Presidio in San Francisco and is working with other Mainland consultants to flesh out the plan.

Initial costs are estimated in the region of $20 million, but breaking it into several phases will limit the financial strain, he said.

While the foundation has secured some financial backing, Marquez said other grants, matching funds and private investors are being sought.

"We want it to be self-sustaining within 10 years," he said.

The foundation envisions breaking ground in 2010 and completion by 2012. Visitors are estimated to number 60,000 for the first year and eventually top 400,000.

County Councilman Angel K. Pilago, who represents the Kealakehe area and is a longtime conservation advocate, said he is eager to see the foundation's final plan.

"I would like to see a community park, maybe in a partnership with the county or some other entity," Pilago said. "I like the idea of a consortium."

While the project has yet to be pitched formally to the council, Pilago said he is ready to support it.

"I like the reasoning, the rationale and the visioning," he said. "Anytime we can utilize our open space for the community, it's a good thing."