Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Denver Christian Academy revises expansion; board approves amended plan amid traffic concerns
Summary
DCA removed a previously planned front high‑school building and instead added a smaller classroom expansion; the board approved the special‑use amendment 4–1 (Commissioner Cena opposed) after engineers said the site would continue to direct egress to Charter Lane rather than Old Post Road.
Denver Christian Academy returned on June 1 with a revised special‑use application that removes a previously proposed 14,300 ft² front building and instead adds a smaller classroom addition behind existing buildings. School leaders told the board the change reduces projected traffic compared with the earlier proposal.
Crest Pettino, head of school, said the revised plan focuses on middle‑school space rather than adding a high school now. Civil engineer Sean Cauldron and school principal Alex Price testified that the previously approved construction drawings were adjusted during permitting and that the rear driveway will remain ingress‑only onto Old Post Road; vehicle egress will be directed to Charter Lane, the school said.
Engineer Dave Lutz (testifying for Lake Forest at an earlier item) and DCA’s consultants explained traffic timing and dismissal operations; DCA said it has used off‑duty officers for dismissal and has reduced dismissal times. The board approved the amended special‑use permit (SUP 455‑A2) by a 4–1 vote; the record shows Commissioner Cena cast the no vote and at least one commissioner said they voted against the previous proposal for consistency on traffic concerns.
Next steps: The board approved the site‑specific findings of fact and the applicant will continue with construction permitting and site‑work under the approved SUP.
