Columbus, Georgia

Georgia's First Consolidated Government

Post Office Box 1340
Columbus, Georgia, 31902-1340
(706) 653-4013
fax (706) 653-4016

Website: www.columbusga.gov/planning


8/6/2013
Honorable Mayor and Councilors
City Manager
City Attorney
Clerk of Council

Subject: (EXCP-6-13-2429) Special Exception Use request to operate a private school at

7201 Moon Road.

S. Carson Cummings has submitted an application for the Special Exception Use

cited above. The property is located in an RO (Residential Office) zoning

district. The site for the proposed private school is approximately 2.7 acres.

The acreage for the whole parcel is approximately 6.49 acres. The purpose of

the Special Exception Use is to allow for the operation of a private school

located in a residential office zoning district:

  1. Access. - Is or will the type of street providing access to the use be adequate to serve the proposed special exception use?
    Moon Road is classified as a four (4) lanes divided arterial/collector that

    will provide adequate access for the proposed use. The driveway/access

    entering the site meets the access requirements in order to accommodate the

    flow of traffic during the hours of service for the use.
  2. Traffic and Pedestrian Safety. - Is or will access into and out of the property be adequate to provide for traffic and pedestrian safety, the anticipated volume of traffic flow, and access by emergency vehicles?
    The site allows ingress/egress to a divided arterial/collector road, which

    maintains adequate flow of traffic to and from the subject property. The

    proposed use will utilize the existing off-street parking that includes 51

    parking spaces, 2 are handicapped accessible.
  3. Adequacy of Public Facilities. - Are or will public facilities such as schools, water or sewer utilities, and police or fire protection be adequate to serve the special exception use?
    Services such as water, sewer, utilities, police, and fire protection will be

    adequate and serve the proposed use at this location. The Fire Department will

    inspect the building to make sure it meets all their criteria before a

    Certificate of Occupancy is issued. Furthermore, there will be no impact on

    neighboring schools in the immediate area.
  4. Protection from Adverse Affects. - Are or will refuse, service, parking and loading areas on the property be located or screened to protect other properties in the area from such adverse effects as noise, light, glare or odor?
    Off-street parking will be utilized on-site. A buffer type C is required for

    RO property abutting SFR1 property. The 3 options under Category C are: 1) 20

    feet with a certain amount of canopy trees, under story trees, and

    shrubs/ornamental grasses per 100 linear feet. 2) 10 feet with a certain amount

    of shrubs/ornamental grasses per 100 linear feet and a wood fence or masonry

    wall. 3) 30 feet undisturbed natural buffer. External dumpsters/compactors and

    lighting are addressed in the UDO. Noise impacts are addressed in the City

    Code.
  5. Hours of Operation. - Will the hours and manner of operation of the special exception use have no adverse effects on other properties in the area?
    The hours of operation for this use will not have an adverse impact on the

    neighboring properties in the area. The applicant stated that the proposed

    private school will be operating from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm from Monday through

    Friday.
  6. Compatibility. - Will the height, size or location of the buildings or structures on the property be compatible with the height, size, character or location of buildings or other structures on neighboring properties?
    The height, size and location of the proposed structure will be compatible with

    other structures on neighboring properties.

Council District: District 2 (Davis)





Ten (10) property owners within 300 feet of the property have been notified by

mail of the proposed Special Exception Use. To date, the Planning Department

has not received any comments in regards to this special exception request.



Additional Information: The applicant is proposing to use the existing 8,400

sq. ft. building to operate a private school for grades 1-12. The owner expects

to enroll approximately 24 students at the beginning and increase their

enrollment up to a total of 80 students in the future. This private school will

focus on students with special needs (30%), students whose needs are not met

(30%) and students who are advanced or are home schooled (40%). The owner is

planning to have 3 classrooms for elementary, middle and high school.



The Planning Advisory Commission recommended approval at the July 17, 2013

meeting.



The Planning Department recommends that the Council conditionally approves the

use because the application for a Special Exception use meets the criteria for

approval. The condition is as follows: The two (2) southernmost parking spaces

shall be eliminated to allow for vehicles to turn around since no cul-de-sac

exists by the end of the road.

Respectfully,

Rick Jones, AICP
Director, Planning Department


Enclosure / Attachment


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