Oak Knoll School seeks major campus additions, parking and stormwater changes; hearing carried to Feb. 3

Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child presented a major site-plan and conditional-use application on Jan. 22 asking the Summit Zoning Board of Adjustment for multiple variances and approvals to modernize campus facilities at 44 Blackburn Road and 72 Prospect Street.

The applicant described four principal elements: additions to Tisdale Hall and to Connolly Hall (upper and lower Connolly), incorporation of 72 Prospect Street back into the school footprint while preserving the house’s residential appearance, and a 19-space on-site parking area behind Mulcahy Hall (76 Prospect). The school also seeks lot consolidation, preliminary and final major site plan approval, deviations from conditional-use standards (including building coverage, height and stories, front and side setbacks, parking location and buffer requirements), an FAR variance, and other bulk and lighting variances. Attorney Hillary Alls opened the presentation and Jennifer Landis, head of school, gave institutional testimony about programmatic, accessibility, sustainability, parking and stormwater objectives.

Nut graf: The application would add classroom, commons and gym spaces and create new on-site parking the applicant says will reduce perimeter street parking. The plan includes a stormwater-management package using an above-ground bioretention/detention basin and two subsurface detention areas built with pervious pavement; the applicant’s civil engineer said those measures are intended…