Vinings Private Episcopal School Eyes Expansion With New Campus

VININGS, GA — St. Benedict's Episcopal School is one step closer to building a new middle-school campus near its existing one after the Cobb County Planning Commission voted to approve a rezoning request Tuesday, but with several stipulations.

The plans still have to go to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners for approval, but 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.

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.

St. Benedict's existing school off Atlanta Road and Cumberland Parkway is home to preschool through eighth grade, but the new middle school will house just fifth through eighth graders, according to attorney Kevin Moore, who was representing St. Benedict's during Tuesday's planning commission meeting.

Several members of the Kensington Green community near the proposed campus spoke during the meeting, voicing serious concerns over traffic in an already highly-trafficked area, stormwater drainage, noise pollution and light pollution.

For example, the Institute of Transportation Engineers gave Atlanta Road a failing rating in the afternoon hours due to high traffic congestion, and the traffic study of the project was only submitted Tuesday morning before the planning commission meeting. The Cobb County Department of Transportation had not fully reviewed the study by the time the meeting started.

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.

In an effort to address noise and light pollution concerns, Brian Sullivan, head of school for St. Benedict's, said they do not intend to have organized sports or evening games at the playfield, just daytime sports and recreation activities, which were the main concerns for the noise and light pollution.

The plans still have to go to the Board of Commissioners for final approval.