HILO »The University of Hawaii has begun taking public input on plans to renew its master lease for land on Mauna Kea.

According to a notice from the state Office of Environmental Quality Control, new leases will be sought for the Mauna Kea Science Reserve, related facilities and easements. The public has 30 days to comment.

In 1968, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources provided UH with a 65-year lease for land above 9,200 feet on Mauna Kea. The state leases the land to the university for $1 a year, and the university leases it to various telescope entities.

The first telescope was built in 1968, and there are now more than 10 telescope complexes on the mountain.

The university’s lease on 11,288 acres on Mauna Kea expires in less than 20 years, on Dec. 31, 2033. Another lease for the 19-acre Hale Pohaku mid-level facility on the mountain expires in 2041.

The university also leases 71 acres for an easement for an access road between the two properties, which expires on Dec. 31, 2033.

According to the notice, the university is seeking a new master lease to incorporate the 2009 Mauna Kea Comprehensive Management Plan objectives and to provide for adequate planning for current and future activity, which has become increasingly difficult as the expiration dates near.

Perry White, senior planner for Honolulu-based private consulting company Planning Solutions Inc., said the notice is "the very beginning" of the process.

White said environmental impact statement preparation could last a few months, with part of the process being to respond to each comment.

White also helped with the conservation district land use application for the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, a $1.3 billion project and one of the world’s largest telescopes slated for construction this year.

Various Native Hawaiians and environmentalists have argued against further development on the mountain. Protesters stopped the groundbreaking ceremony for TMT in October and six petitioners have challenged the state and the university in court, saying the 18-story facility covering 5 acres does not meet all of the conservation district land use permit requirements.

A Hilo judge ruled in favor of the project in April. Opponents plan to file an opening brief on the case in the state Intermediate Court of Appeals this month.

Public comments regarding the new master lease should be sent to the University of Hawaii at Hilo at 200 Kawili St. Hilo, HI 96720 or emailed to Office of Mauna Kea Management director Stephanie Nagata at nagatas@hawaii.edu.

Comments can also be sent to Planning Solutions, Inc. at 210 Ward Avenue, Suite 330, Honolulu, HI 96814.

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CORRECTION: A previous version of this story had the incorrect address for public comments.