Woodbury council approves Math and Science Academy upper-school campus, OKs rezoning and PUD

WOODBURY, Minn. ' The Woodbury City Council on Jan. 22 approved a package of land-use actions to allow Math and Science Academy (MSA) to build a new upper-school campus that would house grades 6 through 12 and eventually serve about 1,525 students at full capacity.

City planning staff told the council the applicant requests a comprehensive-plan amendment to change the site's designation from single-family estate to public/semi-public, rezoning from R-2 (single-family estate) to R-4 (urban residential), a planned unit development (PUD) that grants limited architectural flexibility and a conditional-use permit for a school. "Math and Science Academy has submitted application for a comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning, planned unit development, a conditional use permit, preliminary plat and building plan for a new charter school serving grades 6 through 12," Eric Searls, a city planning staff member, told the council at the start of the hearing.

Why it matters: the proposed campus would allow MSA to expand enrollment from roughly 730 students today at its Radio Drive site to a total capacity of about 1,525, relocate the upper grades, and convert the existing building to elementary school use. City staff, the Planning Commission and the council framed the application as providing public benefit through shared use of the site's gym, athletic fields and parking with the city's parks and recreation programs.

Traffic and parking were the central issues raised during review. A traffic study commissioned by the city found the site design provides about 3,200 feet of on-site vehicle stacking, compared with a minimum stacking requirement of about 1,950 feet; staff said that level of stacking should work but will create on-site pick-up delays that could average about 30 minutes during peak afternoon pickup. The study recommended a new traffic signal at Bailey Road and Fairway Drive, reconstruction of Fairway Drive approaches, a right-turn lane on Bailey Road, removal of the existing Mile Drive access and signal synchronization with Bailey and Pioneer to reduce peak conflicts with nearby East Ridge High School.

The project also requests flexibility from the city's standard architectural materials rule for schools. The zoning code requires 65% Class 1 materials; the applicant proposed 40% Class 1 (large areas of glass) and about 50% Class 2 precast with a thin-brick finish. Staff and the Planning Commission said the precast with thin brick and the overall design can produce a similar visual result while offering constructability benefits.

Planning Commission liaison John Collum told the council the commission had thoroughly reviewed the application and supported several conditions, including enhanced landscaping and reorientation of athletic-field loudspeakers to point west away from residences. "Overall, commissioners were pleased with the project bringing in more educational options to Woodbury," Collum said.

MSA representatives described operational details the council pressed on during the hearing. Ashley Busner, representing the applicant, said the school plans to sequence bus departures before parent pick-up so buses depart first and parent pick-up begins after buses leave. "The buses would leave first. So it wouldn't release any of the students or the parent pickups until those buses are gone," Busner said. The design includes a gated bus turnaround and separate areas for student parking, staff parking and parent/visitor parking; staff said gates and on-site attendants would manage movements as the city and the school refine the traffic-management plan.

City staff included conditions that require a formal traffic-management plan, additional landscaping (including more evergreens to screen fields), caps on athletic field lighting to match nearby sports-center pole heights, and limits on loudspeaker orientation. Staff also added a condition (modified at the council meeting) that requires the school to "actively enforce and ensure" that parking, idling, queuing and drop-off do not occur within adjacent neighborhoods, public roadways or city-owned parking lots.

Timing and other details: city staff and the applicant said construction is planned to begin in April, with the new campus delivered in time for the 2026 school year. Kate Hinton, MSA executive director, said enrollment applications for the elementary program would open in September 2025 and the lottery for seats is expected in February 2026. The applicant told council the site covers roughly 40 acres and includes space reserved for fields and open space.

Council action and next steps: the council approved the comprehensive-plan amendment, adopted an ordinance rezoning the property to R-4, granted the conditional-use permit (with the revised condition about off-site parking/queuing), and approved the PUD, preliminary plat, site and building plan (project number 272024-00563). Council also unanimously approved a separate motion directing city staff to review the existing conditional-use permit and parking practices at MSA's current site and report back within 90 days.

Votes at a glance: all land-use motions passed by roll call vote with all five members present voting aye. Specific recorded votes are listed below.

The council's approvals set the land-use framework but leave several operational details to staff review and the traffic-management plan that the resolution requires. The council will see some implementation items -- traffic synchronization, construction staging and final building permits -- handled administratively or through required conditions before the campus opens.