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Richardson council approves Galen College expansion, limits on campus population and parking
Summary
The City Council approved a revision to a special permit allowing Galen College of Nursing to expand on the southern portion of a three-story office building at 1301 W. President George Bush Highway, increasing the on-campus maximum to 450 students and adding operational and parking conditions.
The Richardson City Council voted unanimously to approve a revised special permit allowing Galen College of Nursing to expand its Richardson campus at 1301 W. President George Bush Highway and increase the number of students on campus at any given time from 300 to 450.
City planning staff told council the site is a 57,000-square-foot, three-story office building on 10.34 acres; Galen currently occupies roughly 40,000 square feet and asked to expand to 67,000 square feet. Assistant Director of Development Services Andrew Bogda said staff and the City Plan Commission recommended approval with conditions including a parking ratio of 1 space per 100 square feet of classroom area, limits on hours of operation and a 450-student cap for on-campus attendance.
The conditions are intended to address traffic and parking. Bogda said the site contains 770 total parking spaces; once spaces needed by other office users are accounted for, 468 remain for the higher-education use. Using the private-university classroom ratio the city applies elsewhere — 1 space per 100 square feet — staff calculated Galen would need 333 spaces for the larger lease area. A transportation memo required for the project found only a slight increase in peak traffic from the expansion.
Representatives for the applicant described the campus as part of Galen’s national footprint and said most students alternate between online coursework and clinical rotations rather than being on campus at the same time. Consultant Wes Hobblett of Master Plan said the college’s model is “a lot of nurses, and there's clearly a need for it in this country.” The applicant also told council it is willing to limit on-site hours to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, with occasional Saturday evening classes.
Councilman Dorian, who said he toured the facility, praised the campus and noted the hybrid class schedule. “I commend you for, you know, providing this service because it's an invaluable service,” he said.
