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Staunton planning commission recommends special-use permit for small school at 224 Taylor Street with 50-person cap and pickup-condition
Summary
The commission voted to recommend approval of a special-use permit for a private, single-room school proposed at 224 Taylor Street inside Memorial Baptist Church, requiring a new special-use review if enrollment plus staff exceed 50 and mandating drop-offs and pickups use the Taylor Street entrance furthest from North Coulter Street. The recommendation goes to city council May 8, 2025.
The Staunton Planning Commission on April 17 recommended approval of a special-use permit for a small, nontraditional school to occupy about 3,250 square feet within Memorial Baptist Church at 224 Taylor Street, with two conditions: the school must seek a new special-use permit if enrollment plus staff exceed 50, and student drop-offs and pickups must use the Taylor Street entrance furthest from North Coulter Street.
Staff planning manager Tim Hartless told commissioners the applicant proposes a single-room “schoolhouse” model with two staff members initially and up to 12 students at launch; staff used a kindergarten/elementary parking calculation that produced a four-space requirement and counted approximately 198 parking spaces on the church property. "Parking is definitely not a ... problem for this proposed use," Hartless said.
Applicant Sarah Giri, who said she and her husband are founding the school, described the program as student-driven and tailored to individual interests and urged the commission to allow a higher enrollment cap. "By increasing the cap to 100, it would give us a runway to be able to do that," Giri said, arguing a larger cap would make the program financially viable and allow the school to move into a dedicated building in the future.
Commissioners questioned whether a 100-person cap was appropriate for the portion of the building the applicant proposes to use, raised concerns about outdoor play space, noise and conflicts with nearby McWain Elementary and Staunton High School drop-off times, and asked how quickly the school might grow. Commissioners accepted staff’s recommended safeguard—requiring a new special-use review if the combined total of students and staff would exceed 50—and added the specific drop-off/ pickup entrance condition to reduce traffic impacts.
A motion to recommend approval, including the two conditions, carried by roll call. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to Staunton City Council for final consideration at its May 8, 2025 meeting at 7 p.m. in the council chamber.
