Item 18 - Appeal Application of Conditional Use Permit to Allow the Expansion of a Private School

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Appeal Application No. 2025-02 – Forty Martyrs Armenian Church Middle School (5311 W. McFadden Avenue) Exhibit 6 – Response to Appeal Comments Page 9 of 19 staff report (Exhibit 3 to the February 3, 2026 City Council staff report), the project underwent a development project review application where City staff conducted a thorough review of the project. The review consisted of reviewing updated architectural plans, focus traffic studies which involved the new integration of the seventh and eighth grades, updated parking management plan to account for the increase of 15 students, and overall operations of the school and church. The development project application was submitted on February 9, 2023, and deemed complete on August 7, 2025. As part of the development project review process, the application was evaluated by City staff including the Planning Division, Building Division, Public Works Development Engineering, Public Works Water Division, and the Orange County Fire Authority. Additionally, the application was considered a modification of an existing CUP, because the proposed land uses and operational standards will remain the same. The only proposed change is to increase the student enrollment by 15 students and incorporate seventh and eighth grade students. Moreover, as stated on pages four and five of the Planning Commission staff report (Exhibit 3 to the February 3, 2026 City Council staff report), the Planning Commission approved CUP No. 1982- 18 and Variance No. 1982-20 in 1982, allowing the construction of the church building and the private school designed to serve students in kindergarten through ninth grade. The CUP allowed the church and private school uses in the R1 zoning district and the variance allowed the reduction in parking. However, at the time of construction, the private school facility was designed to accommodate elementary students, serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. While CUP No. 1982-18 allowed the private school use extending through ninth grade, the 17,500-square- foot building did not provide the necessary floor area or capacity to serve students above the sixth grade. Furthermore, the school’s operational program and curriculum were limited to elementary education, and no middle school grades were implemented under the existing CUP. The proposed modification was intended to allow the same land uses with a higher number of students and incorporating the new seventh and eighth grades. 5. Appellant Request: R-1 Residential Protection & Land Use Compatibility Violations Analysis of Issue: The appellant claims that approval of the expansion of the existing school violated the General Plan land-use policies intended to safeguard residential neighborhoods from intrusion by intensified institutional uses. As stated on page