Recommend approval of the Site Plan/Building Permit Authorization for 9,880 sq. ft. office and classroom additions and parking lot improvements at Cedar Park Elementary (7500 Whitney Drive), subject to compliance with all City Codes, and the following conditions:

1. The driveway access shall be moved to the west as recommended by the City Engineer.
2. A sidewalk connection shall be made from the sidewalk on the southwest side of the building to Cedar Ave.
3. A sidewalk connection shall be provided from the west parking area around the stormwater retention area to the playfields to the west.
4. The project is subject to review and approval of the final civil plans by the City Engineer at the time of application of the building permit.    

ISD 196 requests consideration of Site Plan Review/Building Permit Authorization to construct two building additions and parking and circulation improvements.  The two additions include a 4-classroom addition of 6,880 sq. ft. on the west side of the building and an office/front entrance addition of approximately 3,000 sq. ft. on the east side of the building.  A new bus loop and parking area is proposed to be constructed on the west side of the building to separate bus circulation from parent pick-up and drop-off activities.

Access to the site will be modified by removing the two existing drive entrances off of Whitney Drive and placing a single drive access in the middle of where the existing drives are located today.  The City Engineer recommends that the driveway be shifted to the location of the west existing driveway, because it will remove a decision point and allow for smoother circulation through the site.

The City does not have a parking requirement for elementary schools.  Staff has used a recommended parking formula that would require one space for every four students and one space for every three employees.  For this project, the total minimum number of parking spaces required would be 207; 100 spaces are provided on site.  The School District states that the City’s parking calculation is very high compared to other communities.  In Fort Worth, TX, parking at elementary schools is calculated at 2.5 spaces per classroom of 30; using that formula on this site, the parking requirement would be 61 spaces.  Burnsville requires one space per staff member on the largest shift, plus one space per two classrooms which on this site would equate to roughly 83 spaces needed.