Council OKs charter school permit
The City Council on Monday approved a special-use permit for Triad International Studies Academy at 622 E. Lexington Ave., where it plans to open in August offering pre-kindergarten through second-grade classes with a projected enrollment of around 150 students.
Offering a 'language immersion' curriculum with classes in Chinese and Spanish, as well as core subjects, the school is renovating two former church buildings on the property for classroom space.
The school plans to grow to a K-8 enrollment with a maximum capacity of 390 students and eventually add four modular classrooms.
City planners recommended limiting the school's maximum enrollment to 250 students because of concerns about this relatively small 1.5-acre tract being able to handle on-site vehicle queuing during drop-off and pick-up times, as well as other impacts of the development.
The council went against the staff's recommendations in granting the applicant's wish for the 390-enrollment capacity.
The council approved the school's proposal to operate a staggered drop-off and pick-up schedule 45 minutes apart with a maximum of 195 students during each.
The applicant pledged that this would keep traffic from stacking up on E. Lexington Avenue at the school's entrance and exit.
City staff said they were concerned that a staggered schedule would be too difficult for the city to enforce as a condition of the permit.
The council included a requirement that the school submit annual reports to the city showing that they're adhering to the staggered schedule and keeping vehicles from queuing in the road.
The N.C. Department of Transportation, which owns and maintains E. Lexington Avenue, is not requiring the addition of turn lanes into the site, which is in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
The applicant agreed that only emergency access would be permitted from Bridges Drive at the rear of the site.
The council approval was on a vote of 8-1, with Councilwoman Amanda Cook opposed, saying she preferred to adhere to the staff's recommendation for the smaller enrollment capacity.
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