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) February 3, 2026 Page 3 5 4 9 2 school building 17,500 square feet in size, serving students from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade. The Project proposes to construct a new two-story, 4,846-square-foot building located at the rear (north) portion of the site. The proposed building will feature contemporary architectural design to complement the existing church and private school facilities. The structure will have a maximum height of 32.5 feet and includes a 13.5-foot ground-level opening to allow vehicular circulation beneath the second-story classrooms. The second floor will extend over the two-way drive aisle, providing additional classroom space while maintaining safe on-site circulation for staff and visitors. The first floor will include a 274-square-foot lobby, a single-stall restroom, and a 502- square-foot classroom. The second floor will consist of three classrooms measuring 587, 417, and 622 square feet, respectively, and a 709-square-foot laboratory. Two of the proposed classrooms are designated to support the existing elementary school grade levels, which currently serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. These classrooms will provide additional space to reduce the overall class sizes for the existing grade levels. The remaining two classrooms are specifically allocated to accommodate the new seventh and eighth grade levels, thereby allowing the school to expand its curriculum and retain students through middle school. In addition, the proposed laboratory is intended to serve students across all grade levels, from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. As currently constructed, student enrollment is approximately 180 students; with the proposed expansion, the student enrollment will be approximately 195 students, representing an eight-percent (8%) increase. The existing site maintains the required landscaped setbacks with ground cover, shrubs, and trees. The existing landscape includes three 24-gallon trees, a shrub hedge that is approximately five feet tall and ten feet wide, and drought-tolerant shrubbery along the front-yard setback. Additionally, the site contains 25 trees throughout the parking lot and around the church and existing school buildings, which are proposed to remain. Furthermore, the site includes an existing playground located at the rear of the property, which also functions as a parking area when the school is not in session. The playground is utilized exclusively during school hours and is used as parking during the church’s hours of operation. No expansion or physical modification of the playground area is proposed as part of this request, and its dual use will continue to operate as it does under existing conditions. Site and Project Background In 1982, the Planning Commission approved CUP No. 1982-18 and Variance No. 1982- 20, allowing the construction of a new church building and a 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.