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City Council Minutes November 12, 1997 Page 2 The council recessed for a five minute break at 7:40 p.m. Mayor Gehrz explained that she had received a petition from residents at the Maple Court townhomes which indicate concern over how the school will utilize the site. There was also a cover letter with the petition which outlined a number of concerns, some of which may be considered as a part of the conditional use permit approval process and some of which cannot be considered. Gehrz went on to explain that the council can approve or deny a conditional use permit based upon site related issues only. These might include the play area, loading issues, and the number of students educated at the site. It cannot include issues such as state education requirements, which is the responsibility of the charter school. The conditional use permit cannot be denied based upon the fact that this school may one day purchase the property and give it tax-exempt status. Engineer Maurer reported that this property, when operating with an office use, might expect 125 one-way vehicle trips per day. The school, with 22 transportation vehicle trips and 36 staff trips, would not generate more traffic than might be expected for an office park use. Administrator Hoyt stated that the building official said that an 1 1,000 square foot office building might hold an estimated 1 10 office employees. Richard Rajic, 1752 Maple Court, asked for clarification about the maximum number of students that would be at the school and for more clarification on the proposed play areas. Councilmember Jacobs stated that he didn't support the proposed loading and unloading area in the parking lot due to safety hazards. He proposed that all loading and unloading be done off of Prior Avenue. This would require painting a crosswalk over the parking lot and "no parking" signs on the parking spaces to the east of the front entry during the morning and afternoon loading times. Parents who would be picking up or dropping off children during the rest of the day could load and unload from the parking lot. Mayor Gehrz proposed that a condition be added that would set a maximum number of students enrolled at the school. Diane Sherwood, a representative of the Metro Deaf School, stated that a maximum of 60 students are projected for the future. V. Elving Anderson, 1748 Maple Court, urged the council to consider how the inside of the building would be utilized before determining a specific number of students. Paul May stated that the recommended standard for a school is approximately 150 square feet of area per student. With 1 1,000 square feet in the proposed building, 73 students could be accommodated. Given this information, Mayor Gehrz proposed a maximum enrollment of 70 students. The council recessed for a five minute break at 8:32 p.m.