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Franklin schools plan consolidated Earlywood preschool center for about 300 children; rezoning and demolition planned
Summary
District officials said they purchased remaining Earlywood interests and plan a consolidated preschool center for roughly 300 children (about 100 developmental/delayed slots), with demolition in late fall, design work with Schmidt Architects, and an anticipated construction start in March–April 2025; rezoning from industrial to institutional is pending.
District officials described plans to repurpose the Earlywood Special Services property on district land into a central preschool center.
Speakers said the district acquired remaining Earlywood partners’ interests late last spring to meet a local need for consolidated preschool services. The planned center is expected to serve about 300 preschoolers, including roughly 100 developmental or delayed students currently in multiple buildings, plus paid preschool slots for ages 3–5 and a transitional kindergarten option. Officials said the building design is underway with Schmidt Architects; demolition of the existing structure is planned in late fall or early winter so construction can begin in late March or early April 2025.
The presenters noted a zoning issue: the property was rezoned to industrial years ago, and district staff and council member Mr. Young will pursue rezoning it back to institutional to match school use. Officials said school principals Katie Smith and Chloe Lindbach are co-leading the site-level planning during design.
No construction contract or project budget was presented at the meeting; speakers described the schedule, capacity and rezoning steps and invited questions from the council and board.
