Leet zoning hearing board denies Quaker Valley School District application regarding new high school
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Leet Township zoning hearing board members have denied Quaker Valley School District’s special exception application for a proposed high school.
The vote was unanimous following about an hour and a half of public deliberation Wednesday night – however, there was a caveat prior to the motion.
Board members said they would be willing to approve the district’s application provided it be amended to include an emergency access road to and from the property.
The proposed school is on 150 acres of land off Camp Meeting Road. It straddles Leet, Edgeworth and Leetsdale.
“We’re not looking for a four-lane highway up the hill,” board member Chuck Soman said. “It would likely be one lane and only used by emergency responders.”
Traffic concerns along Camp Meeting Road were a big part of several public hearings about the proposed school.
Chairman Terry Soster said he found the district’s traffic expert, Charles Wooster of David E. Wooster & Associates, “very credible” when discussing the possible impact of adding busing and other student and staff vehicles to an already busy thoroughfare.
“There’s no question in my mind there’s going to be congestion (with) school buses going up and down, but I don’t think there’s a safety issue there,” Soster said.
Board member David Kovacs agreed with Soster’s assessment and said the discussion about Camp Meeting Road was very extensive.
“We spent way too many hours discussing a two-lane road up the hill and down the hill,” Kovacs said.
Public hearings began in late June. There were multiple hearings in the evenings and at least two all-day events, resulting in about 40 hours of public discussion.
Attorneys and residents, both in favor and against the project, also had a chance to file briefs and other written comments after closing arguments were taken on Nov. 30.
The zoning board’s approval would also come with a multitude of conditions, including crafting a developer’s agreement with the township and the district and having the downhill property owners named on the district’s general liability insurance policy.
The district would also have to comply with all federal, state, county and local ordinances, and conduct a watershed impact study. The study would address stormwater management issues.
The preliminary plan for the school would use about 48 acres for the building and grounds. The site already has 10 acres cleared out, but the district wants to leave a lot of existing growth as a buffer.
No further construction can take place without first obtaining approval from Leet’s zoning hearing board.
Soman said he believes the site will be “a beautiful setting” and “something for the school district to be proud of” once it is completed.
Soster also spoke highly of the district’s geotechnical experts and noted there were very few, if any, challenges to their testimony.
“We wouldn’t have been here for 40 hours if this site didn’t have some questions to it,” Soster said. “You’ve picked a site that even your own engineers have told you is an expensive site to develop.”
Each board member stressed the need for an emergency access road several times throughout Wednesday’s proceedings.
Board solicitor Vince Restauri said the district does not need to provide street specifications at this point, but at least have in writing that it would create such a road and follow first responders’ recommendations.
Charlie Gauthier, district director of facilities, said he would speak with project engineers and architects as well as first responders and discuss possible options.
“I just need to review the plans and see the points of access there,” Gauthier said. “We have two access points now, and we have to review that. We’ll amend our application after a meeting.”
Gauthier said the district plans to address all the aforementioned conditions and felt encouraged by the board members’ supportive comments and analysis.
“It’s what we’ve thought all along,” Gauthier said. “We always wanted to be upfront with how the project is going to proceed (and) what we want to do. We’ve heard the concerns of the community. We’re going to listen to those concerns. We’re going to try and address those concerns in our plan and move forward. We’re excited to move forward with the project.”
Sewickley Hills resident Wendy Quattlebaum, a QV Strong steering committee member, said the group felt encouraged by the board’s actions despite its denial. QV Strong is a group of about 1,000 district families in support of the new high school.
“It was clear from tonight’s discussion that the zoning board rejected the idea that the new school would be harmful to the health, safety and wellbeing of the area, but rather affirmed it would be an asset to the Leet community,” Quattlebaum said.
A hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. March 9 at the township building in anticipation of the district filing an amendment.
More information about the hearing will be posted on the township’s website, leettownship.org.