Item 5.1 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Planning Commission/CU 03-04 March 25,2003 Page 2 • establishments permitted in the Cl,C2 and C3 zoning districts. A Montessori school is not listed as a retail establishment in those commercial districts. The location of the proposed facility will be between and adjacent to LaRose's Pizza and the karate school. In the past,facilities similar to this have been allowed in locations with similar characteristics. Horizons Daycare is located in a Highway Commercial area;near retail spaces with an outdoor play area surrounded by vehicular circulation. At the staff site plan review meeting,the number of possible vehicles,the location of the play area,the poor circulation that exists in the parking lot and the poor access to the site were discussed. After visiting the site, staff feels that the play area's proximity to Highway 169 is not a concern. Also the fact that it is across a parking lot,does not seem to be a concern, as the traffic is primarily for employees and not general traffic. Analysis Though the request is for an amendment to the Elk River Plaza PUD, staff has provided some background information on what the applicant's desire is if the amendment to the PUD is granted. If granted,the applicant will process an application for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a Montessori school at the subject property. • The applicant is proposing to open a Montessori school in an existing multi-tenant building. The school would be staffed by 7-8 employees and the number of students expected to be using the facility will be 55 preschool students ranging in age from 33 months to 5 years old. The hours of operation will be 6:30 am to 6:00 pm. The arrival/departure schedule for the school would be no more that 8 students at a time in 15-20 minute intervals. The establishment will have an outdoor play area which will be located across the rear parking lot next to the Highway 169 right-of-way. Access to the Montessori school will be from Freeport Avenue at the location of the Dolphin Car Wash. This is one of two access points for the theatre complex and access for the car wash and hardware store. During evening hours and weekends,these two access points need to handle most of the theatre traffic which can be quite excessive. According to the Ordinance,the facility would require one parking space per teacher or employee,plus one space per 12 individuals receiving care. This would result in 13 stalls required for the school. The approximate number of stalls required for the current businesses is 55 spaces. With the addition of the school, 68-70 stalls would be required. There are 63 available stalls for all the establishments. The only time that parking might pose a problem is the last hour or two of operation,when the LaRose's will be beginning their supper rush. Again though,not all children will be • S:\PLANNING\Case Files\2003\CU 03-04 Discovery Montessori\CU03-04_PC.DOC