Council approves PO-zone daycare development agreement with requirement for protected drop-off and 40 parking spaces
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Summary
Council approved a development agreement permitting a one-story 10,000-square-foot daycare in the PO zone, making the daycare a permitted use under the agreement and allowing staff to approve final site/architectural details — with a stipulation that a protected ADA-compliant entry/drop-off be provided while maintaining 40 parking spaces.
Highland — The Highland City Council on Aug. 5 approved a development agreement allowing a proposed daycare to proceed in the city’s Professional Office (PO) zone, subject to a staff-review provision and a council-imposed safety stipulation.
WDC Highland LLC’s proposal covers a single-story, roughly 10,000-square-foot daycare building sited south of the storage facility on Highland Boulevard. The applicant, represented by Logan Johnson of Wright Development, presented a site plan that places the building behind parking and proposes a car queuing pattern for drop-off and pickup. Planning Commission reviewed the project July 22 and unanimously recommended approval with three stipulations: non-white neutral fencing, shake shingles under building eaves, and the submission of a traffic circulation plan.
Key council concerns at the Aug. 5 hearing centered on drop-off/pick-up safety and queuing: council members asked whether the project’s layout would allow cars to stack into Highland Boulevard, how handicap-accessible parking and ramps would function during peak drop-off times, and whether staff or dedicated canopies should be used to escort children from vehicles. Applicant Logan Johnson said the tenant’s typical model includes staff to assist with arrivals and departures and that practical stacking rarely reaches the theoretical maximum shown in circulation diagrams. He also said that, in practice, parents sometimes park and escort children inside during higher-traffic peaks.
After discussion, the council adopted a development agreement allowing the daycare use as permitted under the agreement and delegating final site-plan and architectural approval to city staff, but only if the final plans match the version the council reviewed. The council added a required stipulation: the developer must provide a protected pedestrian entryway or drop-off area that meets ADA width/entry standards while preserving 40 parking stalls. If the developer demonstrates that a protected entryway cannot be accommodated while retaining 40 stalls, the council will require the developer to return with an alternative design. Council approved the development agreement 4–0 (Councilmember Kim Radella was absent remote/intermittent).