Council approves special use permit for Life Preschool daycare at 305 S. Main

The Tonganoxie City Council on Sept. 18 approved Ordinance No. 1534, granting a special use permit for Life Preschool LLC at 305 South Main Street to operate a licensed daycare facility.

Planning staff told the council the application was reviewed against the city’s special use permit criteria and rules applicable to licensed daycares, including parking requirements. The Planning Commission held the required public hearing and recommended approval; no members of the public spoke for or against the application at that hearing.

Staff recognized Gretchen Meitler as the owner of the business applying for the permit and summarized the property’s recent history. A prior special use permit had been granted for the location in 2022 to allow an expansion by the previous occupant to operate an after-school program; staff said that program either did not run or ran only briefly. Staff reported no ongoing traffic enforcement issues tied to the site but noted prior operational details: the previous operator occasionally parked a small bus near the busy Fourth and Main intersection and the city had previously asked for low tree limbs to be trimmed to improve sight lines.

Staff said the applicant plans interior and site changes, including moving a fence and reorganizing parking so parents can circulate through the lot for quicker drop-offs. Staff also noted coordination with police during swim-meet days at the nearby water park to reduce conflicts during peak drop-off times.

Council member Dale moved to accept the Planning Commission recommendation and approve draft Ordinance No. 1534; Council member McCutcheon seconded. The mayor called the vote; council members present voted in favor and the motion carried.

The transcript records no amendments to the approval and does not list an effective date for the ordinance.