Lucas planning panel denies SUP for Creekwood Academy after neighbors cite traffic, safety and zoning concerns

The Lucas Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4–0 on July 11 to deny a special use permit that would have allowed Creekwood Academy, a proposed nonprofit K–8 micro‑school, to operate from a single‑family home at 2300 Songbird Trail.

Development services staff told the commission the home’s main structure totals about 2,654 square feet and that the applicant proposed an accessory building originally shown at 4,500 square feet and later reduced to 2,600. Staff recommended approval with conditions including no signage, no extracurricular activities after dark, no additional exterior lighting, a two‑year SUP trial period, a 40‑student cap and verification by a registered sanitarian that the existing on‑site sewage facility (OSSF) would support the use.

“Initially we were homeschooling our kids and a few friends,” applicant Michael Westfall said. “We want to hire some teachers and share those costs, not run a large school, and we have no ambitions to be a Lucas Christian Academy.”

Residents who live closest to the property…