School's expansion moves forward

ODESSA -- All that supporters of a new Carrollwood Day School complex on Michigan Avenue needed was a redefinition of what an elementary school is.

County planners, who initially called Carrollwood Day a middle school, changed their minds in November when they found an interpretation saying an elementary school can include grades K-8.

With that new definition in hand, county Land Use Hearing Officer Harold Youmans has agreed Carrollwood Day should qualify for a special use permit to expand onto a 17-acre parcel just south of the current facility.

Youmans initially recommended denying the $7-million project. His latest opinion now goes before the county's Land Use Appeals Board on March 1 for final approval or denial.

The definition was crucial. County rules say middle schools must be connected to a major road, which Michigan is not. By calling Carrollwood Day an elementary school, the new interpretation eliminates road access as an issue.

The last hearing was held Dec. 21.

"I felt when we were at the hearing . . . we had satisfied what I perceived to be the hearing officer's concerns . . . and would likely get approval with conditions," Thomas Morrison, the school's general counsel, said Friday.

Many residents surrounding the current facility opposed the permit. They said traffic already is a problem, and they feared that they might wind up with two schools on the narrow country road. They also questioned promises by Carrollwood Day representatives that the school would not add more students.

The county's Planning and Growth Management Department supported approval.

The City-County Planning Commission said the project was too large to comply with the county's Keystone-Odessa Community Plan. But under conditions laid out by Youmans, Carrollwood Day would not be able to enroll more than 416 students.

If approved by the board, the school would also have to limit the height of buildings, use a 100-foot setback from Michigan Avenue, protect on-site wetlands, employ a residential-style design and place all parking in the back.

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