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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Comments MAYOR Tammy de Weerd j CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS Keith Bird Christine Dnnnell Shaun Wardle Charles M. Rountree CITY HALL (208) 888-4433 - Fax 887-4813 PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING DEPARTMENT (208) 887-2211- Fax 898-9551 LEGAL DEPARTMENT (208) 888-4433 MEMORANDUM: Transmittal Date: June 14,2005 City Council Hearing Date: June 21, 2005 From: Craig Hood, Associate City Planner (lu RECEIVED JUN 1 4 2005 To: Mayor and City Council Subject: Compass Public Charter School MI City Of Meridian City Clerk Office . Request for Temporary Approval to Operate a Public Charter School out of an Existing Church in the L-O zone, by Compass Public Charter School. (MI-O5-005) Staff has reviewed the above referenced submittal and offers the following comments. APPLICATION SUMMARY & mSTORY The applicant, Compass Charter School, has submitted a Miscellaneous (Ml) Application requesting City Council approval to temporarily operate a public charter school out of an existing church. The property is located on the south side of Cherry Lane, approximately 1h mile west of Linder Road. The address of the property is 2511 W. Cherry Lane. The property is currently zoned L-O (Limited Office). In 2002 the City approved a rezone of this property from R-4 to L-O (RZ-02-003). Conditional Use Permit (CUP) approval was also granted in 2002 to operate a preschool/private school out of the existing church (CUP-02-027). Title II, Chapter 8 of Meridian City Code (MCC), Schedule of Use Control, requires all public schools in the L-O zone to obtain CUP approval. Further, a condition of CUP-02-O27 was that CUP approval had to be granted prior to enrollment of kindergarten age students or older on this site. In compliance with MCC 11-8-1 and the conditions ofCUP-02-027, the applicant has submitted a CUP application for the subject school use (CUP-05-032). However, because the school year MI-O5-005 Page 1 starts in August and the CUP process takes about 4 months to complete, the subject MI approval is requested to operate the school in the interim (for the first school year). The lease area for the school is approximately 17,096 square-feet and includes classrooms, bathrooms, a gymnasium, and a multi-purpose room on the south end of the site. The anticipated enrollment is 240 students ranging from Kindergarten to 7th grade. Currently there are no required findings or City adopted standards for temporary uses. Because there are no required findings or standards for temporary uses, staff has provided, in the analysis below, some of the most pertinent facts related to operation of the proposed temporary use. Staff is recommending approval of the application with the conditions included herein. LOCATION & SURROUNDING USES The subject property is located on the south side of Cherry Lane, approximately Yz mile west of Linder Road, in Section 11, Township 3 North, Range I West. The following uses surround the subject building site: North: Single-family homes (Sunnybrook Farms Subdivision), zoned R-4. East: Single-family homes (The Vineyards Subdivision), zoned R-4. West: Single-family homes (Haven Cove Subdivision), zoned R-4. South: Single-family homes (Haven Cove Subdivision), zoned R-4. OWNER OF RECORD The current property owner, Cherry Lane Christian Church, Inc., has submitted notarized consent for Compass Public Charter School to submit the subject application. STAFF ANALYSIS The only temporary use addressed in current Meridian City Code is for temporary construction buildings. Because temporary uses are not defined and there are not any established design standards for temporary uses, staff has put together a list of standards that should be evaluated. The standards below are based on the Temporary Use section of the new draft zoning ordinance. Location and Site ImDrovements: As noted in the summary above, the applicant is proposing to lease a portion of an existing church on Cherry Lane. The total square footage of the church is approximately 30,000 square feet. The school is proposing to lease approximately 17,096 square-feet for the school. This area will allow one (1) classroom for each grade level. A majority of the classrooms will be within the main church building. The gymnasium, multi- purpose room, kitchen and a couple of additional classrooms will be used in the southern building. The existing buildings on this site comply with the setback requirements of the L-O zone. MI-O5-005 Page 2 Driveways, parking areas and landscaping improvements were recently made to this site. There are two vehicular access points to this site to Cherry Lane that serve 246 parking stalls. Meridian City Code requires 2 parking spaces for each classroom for the elementary, intennediate and junior high classrooms. One space is required for every 10 children, plus one per staff member for the kindergarten class. Because the school will operate at different times than the church, staff does not believe that patrons of either the church or the school will be displaced. Meridian City Code requires a 25-foot wide landscape buffer along Cherry Lane. There is currently a 30-foot wide (varies) landscape buffer adjacent to Cherry Lane. Sewer and water service are currently provided to this site. The only deficiency staff can find with operating a public school on this site is the lack of a buffer adjacent to the residential uses to the east and south. According to MCC 12-13-12-4, Elementary/Middle Schools are a more intense use (Class II) than single-family residences (Class I). By code, a 20-foot wide landscape buffer is required between the two uses. There is a 20-foot wide landscape buffer and pathway on the east property line, but there is only a fence and minimal landscaping along the south and west property lines. Because landscaping was previously reviewed and approved for this site in 2002 and the proposed use is only for one school year, staff does not believe that additional landscape buffers should be required. Staff supports the proposal to temporarily use this site for a school for grades K-7 as the site is on an arterial roadway with good access, there is adequate parking, landscaping is established, and classroom space is available to temporarily operate a public charter schooL Signs: No signage is proposed or approved with this application. Any sign erected in association with the school use should be in compliance with the City adopted regulations for signs. Noise: The applicant has told staff that the school will hold recess on the south side of the property. This area is largely paved and does not include a large buffer area adjacent to the single-family homes. There are gates that can be closed during recess, but this does not account for the noise. Staff does not believe that the temporary operation of a charter school should produce excessive noise. However, outdoor recess may produce louder noises than neighbors are use to hearing. Staff recommends that the City Council detennine if the oDeration of a charter school will produce excessive noise and if additional buffering or restrictions are necessary to reduce noise levels. Hours of Operation: The applicant has not specifically listed the hours or days of operation for the proposed school within the application. Staff believes that the hours of operation (when children are present) for this use will typically be Monday through Friday, from approximately 7 am to 6 pm. However, staff realizes that some parent-teacher conferences, music recitals, plays, etc., may take place outside the typical school hours. Staff does not believe that the extracurricular activities will occur frequently enough to warrant limiting the hours of operation for the proposed use, as long as activities are not planned for the same day and time that the church is meeting. Staff recommends that the City Council determine if limiting the hours of operation of the charter school are necessary. MI-O5-005 Page 3 Time Period: The time fÌ'ame to temporarily operate the proposed charter school should be in line with the recommended ordinance time period for a temporary use: a maximum of one (I) year. Other Agency/Department Approval: If the City Council decides to approve the subject use, staff recommends that a condition be imposed on the applicant to comply with any guidelines, regulations and permitting process required by any authorizing public agencies, including but not limited to the Ada County Highway District, Idaho Power, and all Meridian City Departments. Miscellaneous: Staff does not believe that the temporary use of the church for a charter school will be disturbing, hazardous, or will have a negative impact on any of the surrounding properties. However, staff recommends that the Council rely on any and all public testimony that may be provided when determining whether the proposed use will be disturbing or hazardous to the neighboring uses. SITE SPECIFIC CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL 1. Unless otherwise approved through the CUP process, use of this site for a public charter school shall be valid for one school year (August 2005 - June 2006). 2. Any new school sign requires a separate sign permit in compliance with the sign ordinance and Planned Sign Program (MCC 11-14). 3. The applicant shall comply with the City of Meridian noise ordinance (MCC 6-3-6). 4. The applicant shall comply with all guidelines, regulations, requirements and permitting processes required by any authorizing public agencies, including but not limited to: the Ada County Highway District, the State of Idaho, Idaho Power, the Meridian Fire Department, the Meridian Public Works Department, the Meridian Police Department, the Meridian Building Department, the Meridian Planning Department, and all other Meridian City Departments. 5. The applicant shall obtain any necessary permits from the City of Meridian Building Department. 6. The number of students per classroom shall comply with standards set by the International Fire Code. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends approval of the application with the conditions listed herein. MI-O5-005 Page 4