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Appeal No. 2018-02 of Conditional Use Permit 2018-01 — Citrus Spring Charter School at 2121 North Grand Avenue June 5, 2018 Page 2 DISCUSSION Dave Black, representing Citrus Springs Charter School, filed an appeal (Exhibit B) pursuant to Santa Ana Municipal Code Section 41-645 and is requesting approval of Conditional Use Permit No. 2018-01 to allow the operation of a K-12 School located at 2121 North Grand Avenue. Citrus Springs Charter School currently operates a K-6 school, which has been an ancillary operation to the church since the original conditional use permit allowed a school component in the 1960s. As part of the services the charter school provides, 7th -12th graders are offered online courses and support through home schooling. The school believes that certain courses are better taught in a classroom setting and is pursuing the CUP to allow the home schooled students to attend on - campus classes. The school does not intend to increase the number of students, but only allow the 7th -12th graders the opportunity to visit the North Grand Campus on alternating schedule$ throughout the week, in order to enhance the learning environment. At the Planning Commission public hearing, staff provided an overview of the applicant's request. During the public comment portion of the public hearing, two members of the public spoke in opposition of the conditional use permit, citing concerns regarding the over concentration of charter schools in the City. Conversely, two members of the public spoke in support of the conditional use permit, stating that students who reach the 7th grade would be able to attend classes on campus with the approval of the CUP. After deliberating on the matter, the Planning Commission denied the applicant's request. The Commission found that an increase in traffic would arise due to the increased number of students attending the campus and by default, that the additional trips generated adversely affect the community and its residents. The appeal in question is based on the fact that the decision made by the Planning Commission was considered unjust, and the official reason for the denial (traffic congestion), was not part of the discussion prior to the decision. The staff recommendation to the Planning Commission was to approve the applicant's request to allow the expansion of the existing K-6 charter school to include grades K-12. The proposed school expansion was reviewed by the City's Design Review Committee prior to the public hearing. The Design Review Committee performed a complete review of the project and analyzed the proposed schedule for attendance of each grade level for the week. This review fully assessed the on-site and off-site traffic impacts that the older student population may cause due to new attendance. According to the schedule provided by the applicant, attendance will not go beyond the total number of students the school currently allows. The 9th -12th graders, some of which will have the ability to drive to school, are only projected to be on -campus twice a week. By granting the approval of the conditional use permit, the City is also promoting a service to the community. Currently, the entitlement for the property only allows K-6 on-site which persuades the 7th -12th graders to commute to other schools outside of Santa Ana. By bringing in students to Santa Ana, those students and parents are also shopping locally, thereby promoting an economic benefit to the community and its retailers. Based on staff's review and analysis of the 75B-2