Council approves Saint Constantine private school at Church of the Apostles with enrollment verification requirement

The Coppell City Council on Tuesday approved a special‑use permit to allow Saint Constantine School to operate a private school at the Church of the Apostles, permitting pre‑K‑3 through 12th grade instruction with a maximum enrollment of 100 students and an added condition requiring semester‑based enrollment verification.

Mary Perron Boswell, a city staff member, told council the proposal would use the church property at 322 South MacArthur and that the school expects to offer staggered programming (five‑day, three‑day and two‑day options). Staff said the submitted traffic study expects an on‑site queuing capacity of 36 vehicles and that the applicant volunteered to cone off a connection to the nearby city parking lot during peak drop‑off and pick‑up times.

According to the applicant’s materials, the school anticipates about 60 students in year one and 80 in year two, with a maximum requested enrollment of 100. Applicant Catherine Clayton said current enrollment stands at about 52 students and confirmed that, based on the school’s mix of 5‑, 3‑ and 2‑day schedules, the number of cars in the on‑site carline on a given day should not exceed the 36‑vehicle queuing capacity identified in the traffic study. Clayton said the school’s hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. but that instruction generally ends by 3:30 p.m., which staff said offsets Riverchase Elementary’s schedule by 30 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon.

Bond Palmore, representing the school, described Saint Constantine as “a Christian classical school within the Eastern Orthodox tradition,” and said the location was chosen in part because of available outdoor space the school will use for play and instruction. He said the Houston campus grew rapidly and the organization is pursuing a similar model in DFW.

At the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing staff reported two written opponents had cited concerns about traffic at the MacArthur and StarLeaf intersection; staff said those concerns were the reason the applicant agreed to operational measures including on‑site queuing and coning the parking‑lot connection during peak times.

Council member Nevills moved to amend a motion approving the special‑use permit by adding a condition requiring semester‑based verification of student enrollment broken down by the school’s 2‑, 3‑ and 5‑day program counts to ensure traffic impacts are monitored. Council member Hill seconded the amendment. The amendment passed with Council members Prem Kumar, Matthew Hill and Nevills voting yes and Council member Walker voting no. The final motion to approve the special‑use permit with the enrollment verification amendment then passed with the same tally.

The Council’s approval is subject to standard engineering review comments and requires the school to operate in accordance with state licensing for private schools and to limit total enrollment to 100 students under the permit. Staff and the council noted that if enrollment grows beyond the site’s capacity in future years the school could need a different site or additional approvals.