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

Home Browse Search

Appeal Application No. 2025-02 – Forty Martyrs Armenian Church Middle School (5311 W. McFadden Avenue) Exhibit 6 – Response to Appeal Comments Page 15 of 19 (CBC). An increase in student enrollment would not be feasible within the existing school building. Therefore, the most feasible option was to construct a new building. The proposed project’s design demonstrated to be the least intrusive as it maintained a 230-foot distance from the residences located along the west property line and was contained within the rear of the subject property. The location of the school expansion at the rear of the property was intended to diminish visual and traffic impacts along McFadden Avenue. 10. Appellant Request: Improper Use of CEQA Exemption as a Substitute for Environmental Review Analysis of Issue: In accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, the Project is exempt from further review per Section 15314 (Class 14 – Minor Additions to School). The Class 14 exemption consists of minor additions to existing schools within existing school grounds where the addition does not increase the original student capacity by more than 25 percent or ten classrooms. The proposed school will not increase the student capacity by more than 25 percent and it only proposes to add four classrooms and one laboratory which lands within the threshold of the Class 14 exemption. Based on this analysis, the project is exempt from further environmental review. 11. Appellant Request: Public Interest and Equity Considerations Analysis of Issue: City staff conducted the review of the proposed school expansion in accordance with all applicable Federal, State, and City codes. Additionally, City staff can only recommend approval of a project if the project can demonstrate that all five findings in Section 41-638 of the SAMC have been established. As stated in the Planning Commission staff report (Exhibit 3 to the February 3, 2026 City Council staff report) and the analysis below, the project meets the findings required to recommend approval of the project. 1. That the proposed use will provide a service or facility which will contribute to the general well-being of the neighborhood or the community. The proposed Project will provide a new two-story private school building to accommodate middle school students (seventh and eighth grades) within the existing Forty Martyrs Armenian Church campus. This expansion will allow students who are already enrolled at the school to continue their education through the eighth grade without the need to transfer to another institution. By retaining