Parishioners of Star of the Sea Church in Aina Koa have been notified about a March 19 briefing about the Hale o Malia care center proposed for land adjoining the Catholic church and its parish school.

"It will have the same footprint but is not nearly as grandiose," said Charles O. Swanson, chairman of Episcopal Homes of Hawaii Inc., a nonprofit development corporation. Swanson said the board of directors has been working over the past several months to put the project back together with the help of Cantor Fitzgerald Inc., a New York financial house.

The $150 million project had been on the drawing board for five years when it came unraveled in early 1994 in a highly publicized financial debacle that led former Episcopal Bishop Donald Hart to resign as leader of the 12,000-member church.

Hart and other leaders of the Episcopal Church in Hawaii had been participants in the development company, and the diocese had guaranteed a $4 million loan. The corporation defaulted on the loan, leaving the diocese to bear the debt, a burden that still affects budgets of all the churches in the diocese.

In April 1994, the Episcopal Church severed its ties with Episcopal Homes of Hawaii Inc. Church committee reports at the time showed that the corporation owed more than $13 million and had about $35,000 in its accounts.

Episcopal Church officials will not participate in the March 19 meeting, said the Rev. Donor MacNeice, diocesan spokesman.

But there have been meetings between the developers, their New York financial consultants and church officials, he said.

The project had been planned with the understanding that the land would be leased from the Roman Catholic diocese. No lease was implemented at the time, said Catholic diocese business manager William Burton Jr.

The session at 7:30 p.m. in the Star of the Sea School cafeteria "is an informational meeting for parishioners to express their opinions and desires," Burton said. "The bishop (Francis DiLorenzo) makes the final decision.

"We're the landlord. We're not involved in building or operation of the facility," Burton said.

Swanson said Greystone Communities Inc. of Texas will be contracted to handle the marketing and operating of the continuous-care facility.

In 1994, Episcopal Homes terminated its contract with general manager Tony Garcia and his Lifecare Associates of Hawaii corporation.

Swanson said the efforts to scale down the original luxury development will include offering eight apartment models instead of the original 22 different units. Some changes will be made in the materials and features, he said.

"We won't use cast gratings and Italian marble."

"The organization has asked the Catholic Church to hold the meeting to apprise the parish of the worthwhileness of the project," Swanson said.

"We hope the parish will see the benefit to them and to the school. We're optimistic."

Units are not being offered for sale at this point, he said.

"We have quite a ways to go."

Swanson said the various "city permits are all still intact."