Vote On St. Benedict's Episcopal School Expansion Postponed By Cobb Commissioners

VININGS, GA — St. Benedict's Episcopal School leaders will have to wait at least two weeks for Cobb County commissioners to make a decision on the school's proposed expansion.

Cobb commissioners voted Tuesday to delay the vote on the private school's expansion. The existing private school — located off Atlanta Road and Cumberland Parkway — is home to preschoolers through eighth graders, but school officials hope to build a separate middle school campus for fifth through eighth grade not far away, to be located off Daniel Street.

Proposed site plans show the new middle school will be built on a roughly 4-acre property between Daniel Street and Cooper Lake Road. Initial plans were for a 50,000-square-foot campus, but it was reduced to 30,000 square feet earlier this month when the Planning Commission approved the school's rezoning request for the project.

Plans also include a playfield next to the middle school; a stormwater detention pond at the northwest corner of the property; and a carpool queue of no more than 42 cars with 30-minute staggered drop-off times to reduce traffic congestion.

At a Cobb Planning Commission meeting Dec. 8, several members of the Kensington Green community near the proposed campus spoke during public comment, voicing serious concerns over traffic in an already highly-trafficked area, as well as other problems.

To ameliorate traffic concerns, planning commissioners approved the rezoning request with a series of stipulations, including:

• The school must cap enrollment at the lesser of 240 students or the level such that the maximum car queuing capacity could be no more than 20 percent of the enrollment.
• The school must submit an updated carpool queuing plan, which shall be reviewed and subject to approval by Cobb DOT, and limit development to a single phase. If further phases are requested, they have to be resubmitted to the planning commission and Board of Commissioners.
• A neighborhood advisory committee must be established consisting of a member or representative of St. Benedict's, the Paces Walk subdivision and the Kensington Green subdivision. The advisory committee must be promptly notified of any changes and policies around drop-off/pickup times and traffic mitigation studies.
• The school must provide left turn access from Cooper Lake Road onto Daniel Street and post signage discouraging or prohibiting street parking on Weaver Street, Daniel Street and Cooper Lake Road.

Kevin Moore, an attorney representing St. Benedict's, said Tuesday that the traffic concerns have largely been addressed based on the stipulations. He added that once cars leave the school and travel south on Cooper Lake Road, they'll be restricted from turning left toward Atlanta Street, meaning they'll only be able to drive south on Cooper Lake Road.

This is proposed to be enforced through license plate reader cameras at that intersection, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

However, Brian Daughdrill, an attorney contacted by the Kensington Green subdivision, said Moore was misrepresenting the traffic conditions and alleged that the new campus would result in a 600 percent increase in traffic over a typical residential development. The area in question is designated for residential use on Cobb planning maps.

Additionally, a traffic study of the project was submitted hours before the Planning Commission meeting Dec. 8, giving the Cobb County Department of Transportation little time to review the study before the meeting began.

Amy Diaz of the Cobb DOT said given the late submission, the department still hadn't had time to fully review potential traffic affects, but shared some of the same concerns as Kensington Green residents.

Commissioner Keli Gambrill and Chairwoman Lisa Cupid suggested more time was needed to review the application, and the board agreed to hold the proposal until the next meeting Jan. 10, 2022.

Related: Vinings Private Episcopal School Eyes Expansion With New Campus