Council Watch

After-school facility at St. Christopher wins planner approval

Director assures neighbors that facility won't increase traffic

By Mary Spicuzza

When some neighbors voiced concerns that the expansion of St. Christopher School's after-school childcare facility will bring traffic jams and parking headaches, the Planning Director assured them that a bigger building doesn't mean more kids or more cars.

At a director's hearing on Wed., March 31, city planners recommended approval of a site development permit for the facility, which sits on the corner of Curtner and Booksin avenues in Willow Glen.

The St. Christopher parish plans to knock down the existing 1,310-square-foot, one-story building and replace it with a 4,310-square-foot, two-story facility. The parish does not plan to change the actual operations of the center, which has provided after-school childcare to St. Christopher's students for more than 10 years.

"The expansion isn't going to have an impact on anybody, not for parking or traffic," says Father Jim Walsh, pastor of St. Christopher Parish. "It's just going to be better for the kids."

The parish was initially planning to repair the existing facility. But repairs included an expensive roof replacement and complete revamping of the bathrooms. Currently the facility doesn't have bathrooms that are accessible for disabled students or teachers.

Currently about 100 of St. Christopher's 650 students attend the after-school program, which doesn't provide daycare during the summer months. The rooms may also be used for parish meetings, and the second floor will only be used for storage.

Two neighbors who attended the meeting voiced concerns about the project's effect on traffic and parking. But planner Tina Tam, the project manager for the site, says there will be no intensified use of the facility.

"It's the same use, the same location," Tam says.

The streets and traffic department may explore ways to ease concerns by restricting parking hours near the facility. The St. Christopher parish plans to begin as soon as summer vacation begins, and have the first floor and bathrooms completed by September.

"It's just going to be a better facility for something we're already doing... and a more functional environment for the kids," Walsh says.

Around the Glen: Author Vicki Leon; MTBE ban; Jim Cunneen meeting

Columnist Deborah Taylor-Hollis provides introduction to kids snacks

Sports Briefs

Rams improve softball standings with two wins

Charlie Wedemeyer All-Star Football Game