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Board grants special exception for small autism-focused private school in Jasper
Summary
The Jasper Board of Zoning Appeals granted a special exception allowing Total Care Autism Academy to operate a small, ABA-focused private school at 671 3rd Avenue. Petitioner Samuel Field described planned hours, staffing, and enrollment; the board found the use consistent with the neighborhood and UDO standards.
The Jasper Board of Zoning Appeals on June 8 approved a special exception allowing a small private school focused on students with autism to operate at 671 3rd Avenue.
Samuel Field, petitioner for Jasper Plaza LLC and representing Total Care Autism Academy Jasper LLC, told the board the site is about 4,000 square feet and the program would be ABA-heavy with roughly a one-to-one therapist-to-student approach. Field said the initial classroom plan targets K'2 (approximately ages 5 to 7), with an anticipated enrollment of five to 10 students at this location and a goal of about 10 students by the end of the school year. "We're looking about 5 to 10 kids in this location," Field said.
Field described an existing nearby clinic that serves about 26 children at that storefront and said therapists from that clinic would provide ABA services to the school rather than the school independently hiring those therapists. He gave hours of 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and described staggered drop-off and a one-way rear access behind a nearby Dollar General to limit traffic impacts. Field also said the fire marshal had inspected the building and cleared it for use.
The board moved and seconded a motion to approve a special exception under UDO section 16.4.12.B to allow a school in a B3 zoning district. The board recorded formal findings that utilities, access and drainage are adequate, that the use does not create dangerous or noxious impacts for surrounding properties, that vehicular access and parking are organized to minimize neighborhood congestion, and that the proposed use is consistent with the city's comprehensive plan and Unified Development Ordinance. The board granted the special exception by voice vote; the transcript does not list a roll-call tally.
Board members asked questions about parking, potential semitrailer conflicts at the Dollar General receiving area and the relationship between the clinic and the school; Field said parents could park at the rear seven spaces or students could walk from the clinic if needed. He also discussed tuition as a private-pay model and said he would explore scholarship or federal/state assistance but had not finalized tuition rates. "If they can't pay, we can direct them to get some funding from either the state or from this new federal tax credit program," he said, noting details remained to be determined.
The board closed public comment with no substantive objections recorded in the transcript and moved on following the approval.
The board's action grants the petitioner permission to operate the school subject to compliance with the usual permitting and building-safety processes; the transcript indicates standard regulatory checks (fire marshal) had been completed. The record does not specify subsequent administrative conditions or detailed enrollment approval steps.
