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Cheltenham SD presents three small additions at Glenside Elementary to create six classrooms
Summary
Architects proposed three additions to Glenside Elementary (two classrooms each) to add six new classrooms, with required new parking spaces and site constraints driving the design; presenters said the cafeteria has expandable seating and the playground capacity will be reviewed
Cheltenham School District architects described a proposal to add three small classroom additions at Glenside Elementary — each addition containing two classrooms — to provide six new teaching spaces, parking required by code, and minimal exterior impacts.
Presenters said the site is constrained by parking, topography and allowable building footprint; the design therefore staggers three paired classroom additions at locations that avoid expanding the building footprint beyond code limits. The architect summarized the constraints in the presentation: "We are limited to the area that we can put an addition on this building because we're constrained by the parking, we're constrained by the topography going down, and we're also constrained, by how much space you can add on to this ground floor before the code kinda says, okay. You've got too much space in the square on the square foot." The plan keeps the existing architectural context so the additions "will look like it was intended to be part of the original design."
Because adding classrooms triggers additional required parking, presenters said the project includes 11 spaces in one area and another 10 spaces elsewhere to meet code obligations and to provide overflow for events. On the cafeteria and playground, the architects said the cafeteria has an ability to expand seating via interior partitions and that the proposed two rooms (about 23 children each) could likely be accommodated without a permanent cafeteria expansion; presenters said playground space and student counts will be reviewed to confirm adequacy.
Presenters noted the project already exceeds the minimum earth disturbance threshold and that the project is planned to go through required environmental/site reviews (VES/erosion control) and, if needed, stormwater basin upsizing to accommodate any additional impervious area.
No formal votes were taken on the Glenside schematic during the meeting. Committee members asked questions about parking, cafeteria capacity and playground impacts; architects said they will confirm counts and playground needs with staff and reported the design intent is to be economical and consistent with the existing building aesthetic.
