Easly City planning commission unanimously backs Libertas Academy annexation and rezoning for charter school site

The Easly City Planning Commission on June 1 voted unanimously to recommend approval of PLN2604, a 13.6-acre annexation and rezoning request to Office Institutional (OI) for a proposed Libertas Academy charter school that would serve up to about 1,000 pre-K through eighth-grade students.

Staff summary and context: City staff (Corey) presented the application and the applicant’s conceptual site plan, noting the parcel is adjacent to commercial development and that the proposal includes coordination with the Office of School Facilities (OSF) and the state Department of Transportation (DOT) for required off-site improvements. Staff said the applicant had submitted a traffic impact analysis (TIA) recommending several transportation improvements and that the TIA and OSF/DOT recommendations remain under review.

Applicant presentation: Steve Hubri of Hubrick Holdings outlined site features including a proposed lift station designed to serve the property and neighboring parcels, separate circulation for buses and car drop-off, and approximately 4,000 feet of on-site stacking for pickup/drop-off — exceeding the OSF/DOT prototype minimum. Tony Helton of Tutelage Educational Solutions described the operator’s model (classical education), the planned lottery-based admissions when oversubscribed, a schedule that mirrors the local school calendar, and an anticipated opening in August 2027.

Traffic and off-site costs: The applicant and engineers described the TIA’s off-site recommendations — adding a dual left-turn lane on Rock Springs Road, signal modifications, and a protected left-turn storage approach at Rolling Hills Circle — and confirmed the school would finance required off-site improvements. The applicant estimated roughly $850,000 for off-site road improvements as part of development costs and said the school has already coordinated preliminary reviews with OSF and DOT.

Decision and next steps: Commissioners said the site’s separation of bus and car circulation, dedicated stacking distances, and a plan for off-site mitigations addressed their operational concerns. The commission voted to recommend approval; the approval is advisory and will be transmitted to Easly City Council for first reading on July 13. Final development approvals (site plan, OSF/DOT signoff) remain subject to subsequent technical review.