The University of Hawaii West Hawaii Center has cleared one hurdle, but several more remain before the community finally sees construction of a long-promised West Hawaii campus.

On Thursday, the UH Board of Regents approved a long-range development plan that is broken up into four phases, the first of which relocates the campus from its current Kealakekua site to a 500-acre parcel of state land near Kona International Airport.

The first phase also includes the development of about 24,000 square feet, quite a step up from the current 13,000-square-foot facility the university is now leasing, Hawaii Community College chancellor Rockne Freitas said.

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However, before that can happen, a Kamanu Street extension from Kaiminani Drive must be built; a supplemental environmental impact statement for building construction must be completed, which should happen by June; and proper permits must be obtained. Once those steps are taken, construction can begin.

With each additional phase, the campus will continue to grow until it reaches about 165,850 square feet and can hold up to 3,000 people, Freitas said, adding there is not an overall cost estimate for all four phases.

"The overall completion of the plan is dependent upon how the community grows and the resources available to us for the third and fourth phase," he said. "We don't want to build empty buildings."

The cost estimate for the plan's first two phases is about $14 million. Palamanui is responsible for $5 million for construction costs for the first building, a stipulation required of the subdivision's developers; $10 million has been appropriated but not yet released by the governor's office; and about $2.5 million has been raised privately, Freitas said.

The primary obstacle now is deciding who will build the road extension, Freitas said. Plan A has Palamanui building it, whereas Plan B results in the university building the road; if the university builds the road, the project will be put out to bid within the month, he added. If, the university has to build the road, Palamanui will still provide the funding, Freitas said.

"We just want to make sure the road is built quickly," he said. "We can't start construction until the road is finished."

While there have been many tentative timelines provided in the past, Freitas said he sees no reason why it won't proceed as described.

"Everyone, especially in West Hawaii, is apprehensive about this," he said. "But I don't see any obstacles to the construction of this new campus."

The first phase will allow for at least double the current enrollment of 500, as well as an expansion of classes and programs. Potential partnerships with Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority and area resorts should boost the college's hospitality, nursing, environmental studies and business programs.

"It's something new and it's really nice-looking, so people will come," Freitas said.