BZA denies DeWitt Child Care conditional use, staff had flagged traffic and site design issues

The Monroe County Board of Zoning Appeals on June 4 voted 4–1 to deny a conditional use application that would have formalized operation of Early Learners Child Care at 4390 North Ridgewood Drive.

Planning staff recommended denial, stating the property’s layout and parking did not yet demonstrate the site design and supervision characteristics required by the County Development Ordinance for a childcare center and that drop‑off and pickup activity — as described in an anonymous complaint and staff follow‑up — created traffic and safety concerns that had not been addressed in the submitted site materials.

Drew Myers, planning staff, told the board the daycare falls under the CDO’s definition of a childcare center only if it meets the ordinance’s operating and physical standards; the county had received an anonymous complaint raising traffic and on‑street parking issues. Myers said the petitioner reported four…