Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tuscaloosa zoning board approves special exception for Primer Micro School at 3325 University Boulevard East
Summary
The Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a special exception allowing Spark Learning Inc., d/b/a Primer Micro Schools, to operate a private K–8 school for up to 90 students at 3325 University Boulevard East after staff and engineers said interim traffic controls and a staggered drop‑off schedule address safety concerns raised by neighbors.
The Tuscaloosa Zoning Board of Adjustment on May 28 approved a special exception for Spark Learning Incorporated, d/b/a Primer Micro Schools, to operate a private K–8 school at 3325 University Boulevard East.
Board members voted to grant the exception after staff outlined the proposed operations and traffic plan and after petitioners said they would stagger drop‑off and pick‑up times and install interim channelization measures until a separate University Boulevard improvement project is built.
The staff presentation said the school would serve no more than 90 students with up to five staff members and that proposed renovations are limited to the building’s first floor. The staff packet and the traffic plan describe a circulation pattern with a right‑in, right‑out arrangement and a single‑lane entrance and exit. An Office of City Engineers representative said, “OCE is satisfied that this is an appropriate plan,” following review of the traffic study submitted by the petitioner.
Charlie Beavers, the petitioner’s representative, confirmed the hours and staggered pickup times and said the school will phase arrival and dismissal so younger grades leave before older students. Jimmy Duncan of Duncan Coker Associates, who helped design the site scheme, said the traffic study and traffic tube counts were performed to applicable standards and that the submitted interim channelization (cones and mounted markers) will be in place before the school opens. “All traffic studies are conducted in accordance with national standards,” Duncan said.
Opponents raised concerns about timing and visibility of the traffic study and questioned whether the city’s planned curb improvements, which the petitioner’s plan references as part of the University Boulevard East project, will be completed before the school opens. Amanda Mulkey told the board that the traffic study materials were not included in the public packet and that, from her conversations with city staff, the city’s University Boulevard project may not begin until late 2026 and could take a year to construct. She said those improvements were not guaranteed in the near term and warned that relying on them could leave the school operating without permanent safety measures for an extended period.
Petitioners said interim work to provide the right‑in/right‑out configuration and channelization will be implemented before the opening and that the school will use staggered arrival and dismissal windows: 7:15–8 a.m. for drop‑off; K–2 pickup at 2:30 p.m.; grades 3–5 at 3:00 p.m.; grades 6–8 at 3:30 p.m.; and aftercare through 6 p.m. The board also noted two written comments in opposition that were included in the official record.
Board members who spoke said they relied on the city engineers’ review of the traffic plan and were satisfied that the petitioners had addressed the objections raised at a prior hearing. With that, the board voted to approve the special exception.
The petition was recorded as ZBA‑16‑25, Spark Learning Incorporated d/b/a Primer Micro Schools; the board approved the special exception by voice vote.
