Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board approves King’s School campus changes and continues comprehensive‑plan wordsmithing
Summary
The board forwarded a favorable referral for King’s School’s 24,514 sq ft campus center and spent substantial time refining comprehensive plan language on historic preservation, agreeing to form a small staff‑board working group to craft revised text.
The CFRA Planning Board recommended approval of a Zoning Board of Appeals referral for King’s School (1450 Newfield Avenue) seeking a special permit to construct a 24,514‑square‑foot campus center and to renovate roughly 2,156 square feet of existing upper‑school space. Applicant counsel said the project does not increase enrollment or parking but adds six EV charging stations.
Lisa Feinberg, representing the school, said the project "continues to comply with all of the height and bulk and coverage standards" applicable to special permit uses in the RA‑1 zone. The board voted to recommend approval; one member abstained because of a personal connection to the school.
On the comprehensive plan, staff presented wordsmithing edits to several strategies and dedicated extensive discussion to Strategy 6 (historic sites and neighborhood character). Members debated whether to 1) keep the historic‑preservation language under the "City of Opportunity" section or move the strategy to a "Healthy City" chapter, and 2) whether to frame policy actions as incentivizing preservation or disincentivizing demolition. Members asked staff to prepare draft alternative wording and agreed to a small working session (staff + volunteer board members) to return recommended text to the full board.
Procedural items: the board approved prior minutes with a packet‑distribution amendment and elected Jeremy as vice chair. The board adjourned and noted upcoming capital budget meetings on Oct. 14 and subsequent sessions on Oct. 21 and 28.
