Atherton planning commission accepts Sacred Heart 2024 master plan update, certifies TDM monitoring

The Atherton Planning Commission voted to accept Sacred Heart Schools’ 2024 master plan update and to acknowledge the school’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) monitoring results, which show vehicle trips well below the program cap.

The motion to accept the annual master plan update and the TDM monitoring report passed on a roll call vote: Sandy Levinson — aye; Tom Bryant — aye; Vice Chair Bob Pulido — aye; Chair Cherilyn Lane — aye. Commissioner Paul Tonelli recused himself from the vote. No formal mover or seconder name was recorded in the meeting transcript.

The 2024 update, presented to the commission by Senior Planner Radha Hayagriev, included campus land-use, circulation, parking, enrollment and facilities information and reported no proposed changes to existing land uses. Radha Hayagriev told the commission the update “has no changes to existing land uses” and that circulation and parking as shown in the campus plan remain unchanged.

Town Planner Britney Bennetts explained the TDM program history and monitoring. “TDM is a transportation demand management program,” Bennetts said, and she described the program’s two main limits: enrollment and vehicle trips. The master plan reminder to the commission states the school’s enrollment is capped at 1,196 students and that the campus is limited to 6,000 vehicle trips per day under the TDM approval adopted in 2013. The commission was told the school’s 2024 ALPR (automatic license plate reader) sample showed annual trip totals about 21% below the 6,000‑vehicle daily cap.

Michael Dwyer, representing Sacred Heart Schools, said the school was “proud” of local enrollment and of traffic reductions, adding the campus had increased bus and other transportation offerings which staff said contributed to lower trip counts. Dwyer also told commissioners the school is studying possible future projects — including solar panels, a small administrative building, relocating a cellular tower and potential on‑campus housing sites — but that no permits or formal reviews have been filed for those items.

Staff described past requirements for engineer verification of trip‑count systems. The school’s consultant previously requested longer‑term acceptance of the ALPR data; staff said the commission will continue to review TDM trip counts annually and that, given the school’s history and prior reviews, town staff do not plan to require third‑party engineer verification every year absent changed conditions.

Why it matters: The commission’s acceptance keeps the school in compliance with the town’s requirement that schools file annual master plan updates and confirms the TDM monitoring system is reporting trips comfortably below the approved cap. The commission’s action preserves the existing enrollment and vehicle‑trip constraints that limit campus traffic impacts on adjacent neighborhoods.

The commission record shows the school’s 2024 report will be placed on file; staff noted that future projects identified in the update would require separate permits and reviews if and when formal applications are submitted.