Casa Montessori School won approval for its conceptual landscaping plan and waiver requests as it seeks to add a second building, but the backing came with a strongly worded caveat – change the parking area before coming back with any further requests.
The school, located at the corner of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and Orange Street in Lady Lake, plans to add a second classroom building that would accommodate 20 additional students, bringing the total to 71. The new one-story structure would be 3,000 square feet and would come with 18 new parking spaces.
Monday night’s meeting in front of the commission during a special conceptual workshop was called so the Montessori school could gain approval for its landscape plan and waivers regarding some tree removals, planting requirements and the architectural design of the building. But commissioners quickly took an interest in how the parking lot would be set up as it pertains to student safety.
Commissioner Paul Hannan expressed concerns over the fact that cars would have to back out of parking spaces to leave the facility.
“I’m very concerned about cars backing up where there’s small children around,” he said. “Is there no way to design the plan where cars don’t have to back up?”
Albert Estremera, representing the school, told Hannan the parking lot design is much like the spots at shopping centers and town hall, where cars pull in and then are required to back out to leave.
“The only places you have here where you don’t have to back up are two or three spots out front,” Estremera said.
“But we don’t have children here,” Hannan snapped back.
Estremera said he understood Hannan’s concerns but using a parallel-parking plan at the school wouldn’t provide enough places for cars to park throughout the day.
Commissioner Tony Holden also raised concerns about possible traffic backups onto U.S. Hwy. 27/441 as more cars come and go from the school site each day. But Estremera said that wouldn’t be an issue, as students would be dropped off and picked up on a staggered schedule.
“Not everyone will be arriving at the same time,” he said. “We’ll have four separate classrooms, so we’ll be able to stagger those drop-off periods in 15 minute increments so we’re not experiencing that type of congestion throughout the day.”
Both Hannan and Holden voted against the project, with commissioners Ruth Kussard and Dan Vincent voting in favor. Mayor Jim Richards said he was going to vote “yes” to give the project a chance to move forward but told Estremera some things will have to change before the school can win final approval for its new building.
“Realize when you come in with the plans and whatnot, it will be contingent upon addressing the commissioners’ problems,” he said.