Voyager Public Charter School's attempt to take over property in Kaka'ako that the public library system has occupied for 38 years has been scuttled for now.

The small charter school operates out of a storefront just a stone's throw from the library system's distribution center on Pohukaina Street. For the past several weeks, the school has been at odds with three state agencies in its attempt to expand and find a more permanent and suitable home.

The state Department of Education, state Board of Education and the Hawai'i Community Development Association oppose the plan, saying it would displace the library and its nonprofit organization.

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources yesterday said that agency is not likely to consider Voyager's application for a direct lease of the land, citing opposition by the Board of Education.

"In this situation, we are apparently holding the application out of consideration for the Board of Education," said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for DLNR.

Voyager sought the 94,000-square-foot piece of land just west of Mother Waldron Park, saying it wants to develop a two- to three-story facility as the school's permanent home.

The school now leases classroom space in two buildings in Kaka'ako. But the leases are to expire next year. Voyager officials have said they spend more than $30,000 a month on rent and utilities for the storefront location.

Susan Deuber, principal at Voyager school, said yesterday that she was unhappy with the state Board of Education's decision not to support their plans for a permanent site in Kaka'ako.

"There really isn't much to say. We were disappointed at the outcome of (BOE's decision), and we're really just evaluating what our next step is," Deuber said.

State library officials say they were blindsided by news that Voyager officials were applying for a direct lease from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources for the land where state library facilities now sit.

They say they were not consulted by school officials.

"Getting a packet from DLNR saying that a charter school was applying to take over our whole property was a shock," said Keith Fujio, administrative services officer for the state Public Library System.

"There's no disputing it's an excellent charter school. ... But it's the manner in which it was done. We could have been extended a little more professional courtesy," Fujio said.

In a meeting of the Board of Education last week, Voyager teachers, parents and students made pleas for support of their plan. But the board voted to oppose it after Hawai'i Community Development Association Executive Director Anthony Ching told members that the piece of land is "too valuable to be developed for low-density, single-use."

"However worthy and necessary an educational facility may be, I did not feel it was the highest and best use for very valuable land in the urban core for a low-density, very underbuilt project such as what they proposed," Ching said.

He said the Hawai'i Community Development Association has been working on other plans for the Pohukaina site. The HCDA envisions a high-rise that would include a new urban educational facility, library offices, space for the Friends of the Library of Hawai'i, affordable housing and an assisted-living facility.

The new development, which Ching says could be up and running in four to five years, could potentially be a location for Voyager or some other public school.