The Oak Park Planning Commission approved a special land use permit and rezoning to permit a 4,780-square-foot addition and associated parking expansion for a private girls’ school on Coolidge Highway and Balfour Avenue.

The commission voted to approve the special land use/site plan with 12 conditions and then approved rezoning the adjacent residential parcel from R-1 (single-family) to R-2 (two-family) to allow consolidation of the parcels. The rezoning vote passed with one recorded abstention.

Staff told the commission the proposal would expand the school building to the north, producing a total building area of about 11,500 square feet after the addition. The expansion includes four classrooms on the first floor and one classroom plus an exercise room and offices on the second floor. The school intends to combine the school parcel at 250401 Coolidge Highway and the adjacent residential parcel at 13630 Balfour Avenue into a single lot to accommodate the project; staff recommended approval of the special land use and site plan review with conditions and noted necessary variances would be handled through the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) if required.

Neil Ganshorn of Rand Construction, the applicant’s representative, said the existing site has roughly 20 parking spaces and that the expansion will take place on the north side of the property. He described additional parking being placed on the adjacent residential parcel owned by the school and said “there’s still around eight parking spaces including the ADA, two ADA spaces” remaining on the original lot after the build-out.

Commissioners asked about alley ownership and pickup/drop-off flow; staff confirmed the alley is privately owned and said the proposal is expected to improve traffic flow compared with current conditions. Commissioners also asked about screening for nearby residences; Ganshorn said the existing screening will remain and that new screening along the property line will be masonry and six feet tall.

A member of the public who said she represents the school expressed gratitude to the city for accommodating the project and urged support. Rita Weiner, a tenant who rents space in the building and a resident of 15040 Northfield, told commissioners she supports the expansion and said the school serves families in the community.

After public comment the commission closed the hearing, moved and seconded approval for the special land use, and recorded a roll call vote; the motion passed. The commission then moved and seconded the rezoning action; the rezoning passed in a separate roll call with Commissioner Eiselman recorded as abstaining.

Staff noted the site plan approval includes 12 conditions; commissioners specifically referenced condition No. 9 requiring work on lighting. The applicant and staff said the project will remove an existing house on the residential parcel to construct the expanded parking area and combine the parcels as part of the development.

The commission’s approval allows the school to proceed to the next steps of permitting and any required ZBA variances. The record provided to commissioners lists the school’s full legal name as Hayder Ahole Yosef Yitzhak and identifies Rand Construction as the applicant’s representative.

The Planning Commission closed the public hearing, approved both actions and adjourned the meeting.