Planning commission approves Redeemer Lutheran school on undersized Thayer Drive parcel

The Richland Planning Commission on the evening of the meeting unanimously approved a request from Redeemer Lutheran Church to locate a private school on a parcel of roughly 3.98 acres at 520 Thayer Drive, a size smaller than the city’s usual acreage requirement for a new school, city staff said.

City planning manager Mike Stevens told commissioners the Richland Municipal Code requires a school site of 5 acres plus an additional acre per 100 students; Redeemer’s combined parcels total about 3.25 acres in R1-12 zoning plus roughly 0.73 acres zoned parks and public facilities. The church asked the commission to permit a school on the undersized site and offered plans showing six classrooms, administrative space, a fenced playground and a one‑way loop drive for drop‑off and pickup.

Stevens said the application included pre‑application consultation with staff and that city departments raised no objections. Public Works reviewed the circulation and, with the applicants’ plan for staggered start and end times to avoid peak periods at nearby Carmichael Middle School and Richland High School, determined a full traffic analysis was not required. Staff recommended approval of the site‑size reduction subject to standard conditions and a traffic‑mitigation requirement if problems later arise.

Applicant representatives presented site plans and described the layout. Rochelle Ward, who identified herself as board committee chair for Redeemer Lutheran Church, explained the project would demolish an existing parsonage and build a single‑story school building with six classrooms, office space, a nurse’s station and a fenced play area placed away from nearby houses. Alexander Irick and Karen Nichola, who also spoke for the applicant team, said the church conducted neighborhood outreach and reported no negative written comments. Nichola said campus circulation would use right turns where possible, a loop drive for drop off and staggered school times to limit conflicts with existing nearby schools.

Commissioners questioned acreage calculations, playground size, how lunches would be handled, and potential for future growth. Applicant representatives said classroom occupancy was based on a state formula that limits students per room by usable square footage; they said the plan allows for about 15 students per classroom under that calculation and the application identified up to 98 students in total. The applicants and staff stated that any expansion beyond the approved enrollment or physical footprint would require return to the commission.

Commissioner Lambert moved to adopt staff findings and approve the site‑size reduction with an added condition that if drop‑off or pickup activities begin to affect traffic flow on Thayer Drive based on documented complaints received by the city, the applicant must contact the City of Richland Public Works Department to consider mitigation. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote with all members present voting aye; the minutes record the action as passing unanimously (yes: 6, no: 0).

The approval allows Redeemer Lutheran Church to proceed under the conditions set by the staff report and the additional documented‑complaints trigger for traffic mitigation. The commission heard no public opposition during the testimonial period and closed public testimony before deliberation.