Boulder County planning commission backs Westview Church daycare with traffic conditions

The Boulder County Planning Commission voted 6-0 Wednesday to recommend conditional approval of Docket SU-24-0006, a special-use request to allow a daycare center at Westview Church, 6710 Arapahoe Road, but commissioners imposed traffic- and access-related conditions before the case goes to the Board of County Commissioners.

Commissioners recommended the Board of County Commissioners require that the applicant submit an updated transportation study addressing operations and level-of-service at Westview Drive and Arapahoe Road, the distribution of traffic on Westview Drive, and the location of the driveway/parking access, and that the study be reviewed by staff before the BOCC hearing. They also recommended capping enrollment at 50 children.

Staff described the application as a special-use request to permit a daycare use in an existing church building. Pete LaRonge, Community Planning and Permitting staff, told the commission: "This is DocketSU-twentyFour-six Westview Church Daycare Center at 6710 Arapaho Road." The applicants propose a pre-K/childcare program operated by Sojourneys Academy with a maximum enrollment of 50 students and eight staff, operating weekdays, and using roughly half the church’s floor area.

Why it matters: neighbors told the commission the Arapahoe/Westview intersection and Westview Drive already have safety and queuing problems and that additional peak-period drop-off and pick-up trips could worsen conditions. Public commenters asked for updated traffic counts taken when schools and the University of Colorado are in session and urged speed and access mitigation for Westview Drive.

Key details and staff findings - Parking and floor area: The land-use code requires one parking space per 200 square feet plus one per employee for day-care centers, which would total 68 spaces; the existing lot has 66. LaRonge said staff applied the higher requirement for the church use under Article 4-516y and, because only half the floor area is proposed for daycare and hours do not overlap, "staff found that it was not necessary to require the additional 2 parking spots." The recommendation therefore relies on the existing 66 spaces. - Safety and site conditions: Staff noted noncompliant exterior light fixtures and recommended bringing fixtures into compliance as a condition. Staff also flagged the Enterprise Ditch as an "attractive nuisance" and reported the applicants plan to install fencing; staff recommended reviewed fencing plans and installation prior to recordation of a development agreement and prior to operation. - Transportation: Staff reviewed the applicants’ Transportation System Impact Report (TSIR) and asked for additional information about turning movements/queuing at the Westview/Arapahoe intersection, traffic distribution on Westview Drive, and whether projected trip increases would trigger a new Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) access permit (staff said an increase of more than 20% would trigger CDOT review). Staff told commissioners that the requested TSIR revisions were required before scheduling a hearing before the Board of County Commissioners.

Public testimony and neighborhood concerns Residents who live on Westview Drive, Meadowlark Drive and adjacent streets repeatedly described congestion, high speeds, limited sightlines and lack of sidewalks. Larry Young (1184 Westview Drive) said, "the traffic is horrendous and we need to, we need an in-depth study" and urged traffic counts while schools and the university are in session. Multiple residents asked whether the program was K–12 (applicants said the Westview program will serve children roughly ages 3–11, not the K–12 homeschool program some Sojourneys materials referenced).

Applicant response and assurances An applicant representative thanked staff and neighbors and said the program seeks to "increase access for affordable preschool care in this area of town." The applicant described staggered arrival and departure times and a planned low student-to-teacher ratio (applicants said they typically operate with a maximum of eight students per staff member and often lower ratios in practice).

Action and next steps The Planning Commission motion (unanimous) recommended conditional approval to the Board of County Commissioners subject to the staff conditions and added requirements that: (1) enrollment be capped at 50 students unless a future modification is approved; and (2) the applicants submit a revised TSIR addressing intersection operations, traffic on Westview Drive and driveway/access location for staff review before the BOCC hearing. The commission’s recommendation will accompany the docket when it is scheduled for BOCC consideration.

Commissioners and staff noted that many operational decisions and traffic-control actions on Arapahoe are within CDOT’s purview and that additional county review and potential mitigation measures could follow the revised TSIR.

Looking ahead: the BOCC hearing will consider the commission’s recommendation and the revised TSIR; any expansion above the 50-child level would require a modification review (and could be treated as a substantial modification requiring another public hearing).