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Engineer has also indicated the existing roadway network in and around the seminary was <br />designed to carry larger volumes of traffic. The 2013 traffic counts on 5th Street indicated an <br />Average Daily Traffic (ADT) of 2,900 vehicles per day, whereas Stinson just south of 5th Street <br />was measured at 2,200. The proposed use is expected to have very little impact to the existing <br />traffic patterns and volumes. The school is expected to have 15 busses and 15 vehicles deliver <br />students and pick them up in the afternoon, so approximately 60 vehicles per day. By <br />comparison, if the Seminary site were fully developed as single family homes it would support at <br />least 27 additional units, and the estimated traffic for this number of homes would be 258 <br />vehicles per day. With the anticipated volume of vehicles from the school being so low, staff <br />finds the roadway will support the anticipated traffic. <br /> <br />The City’s Public Safety Department reviewed the request and requested information regarding <br />calls for service for similar small schools. The applicant’s narrative indicated fewer than five <br />calls for service were needed with a school they were negotiating with. To ensure the school <br />does not demand Public Safety services beyond what the City can appropriately handle, staff has <br />included a condition of approval that puts responsibilities on the school to maintain order and <br />keep calls for service down. This condition also requires the applicant and/or owner to prepare <br />a mitigation plan should the need arise. <br /> <br />With the conditions related to traffic and Public Safety, staff finds the proposed use will not <br />endanger the public health, safety, morals, comfort or general welfare. <br /> <br />(2) That the special use will not be injurious to the use and enjoyment of other property in the <br />immediate vicinity for the purposes already permitted, nor substantially diminish and impair <br />property values within the neighborhood. <br /> <br />Staff finds this criterion to be met. The school will have minimal physical impacts to <br />surrounding property being existing buildings and parking areas will be utilized. Some concerns <br />have been voiced regarding the proposed playground location, which, at its closest distance will <br />be approximately 200’ to the nearest home. The applicant has explored locating the playground <br />somewhere else on the site (see supplemental narrative); however, the impacts of alternative <br />locations have greater negative impacts than the proposed location. The concern regarding its <br />current location is noise. Because only daytime use is proposed by the school, staff finds the <br />noise impact to be minimal. Staff has included a condition of approval that would limit after- <br />hours use of the property by the school, including children on the playground. Staff has also <br />included a condition of approval that would limit the proposed school from allowing more than <br />150 children on the playground at once so as to limit noise impacts to neighbors. Staff finds that <br />because the exterior of the property will be minimally impacted, and conditions of approval are <br />proposed to address noise concerns, the proposed special use should not be injurious to the use <br />and enjoyment of surrounding property nor diminish or impair property values in the <br />neighborhood. <br /> <br />(3) That the establishment of the special use will not impede the normal and orderly development <br />and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the district. <br /> <br />Staff finds this criterion to be met. With the exception of the applicant’s property, the <br />surrounding properties are fully developed with single family homes. The proposed school use <br />should have less impact on the area than development of the property for single family homes, <br />which is currently permitted under ordinance (could net at least 27 homes).