AGENDA ITEM REPORT
TITLE:
title
AN ORDINANCE APPROVING THE SPECIAL LAND USE APPLICATION SUBMITTED BY LUNA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY, LLC TO OPERATE A PAROCHIAL SCHOOL FOR KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE TO BE LOCATED AT 3720 COCONUT CREEK PARKWAY, AS LEGALLY DESCRIBED IN EXHIBIT “A,” ATTACHED HERETO AND MADE A PART HEREOF. (QUASI-JUDICIAL)(SECOND READING)(SECOND PUBLIC HEARING)
body
BACKGROUND:
This item was approved on First Reading at the December 14, 2023, City Commission Meeting.
The applicant, Luna Raphael of Luna Christian Academy, LLC, on behalf of the property owner, Associated Builders and Contractors Florida East Coast Chapter, Inc., is seeking Special Land Use approval to operate a parochial school for kindergarten through eighth grade to be located at 3720 Coconut Creek Parkway at the existing Associated Builders and Contractors Plaza (ABC Plaza) in accordance with Section 13-35, “Special Land Use,” of the City of Coconut Creek Land Development Code.
In 1986, the Keyes Coconut Creek Investors Plat was recorded in Broward County, which allowed for office and commercial uses. A site plan was subsequently approved, for what was then known as the Wyncreek Professional Center. The site plan included a 19,300 square foot two-story office building fronting on Coconut Creek Parkway, which is the home of the Associated Builders and Contractors and ABC Institute, and a one-story 23,000 square foot commercial retail building, a portion of which Luna Christian Academy is proposing to utilize. On April 13, 2016, the Planning and Zoning Board approved a site plan for the development of a Dunkin Donuts as the third and final phase of the property's development.
DISCUSSION:
The subject property is approximately 4.5 acres and is located at 3720 Coconut Creek Parkway, between Lyons Road and Florida’s Turnpike. The property has a B-3, Community Shopping, zoning designation. Pursuant to the City's Land Development Code, Section 13-331(n), “General Provisions,” parochial schools may be permitted in any zoning district as a Special Land Use. Therefore, the applicant is requesting a Special Land Use approval to permit a parochial school for kindergarten through eighth grade.
The proposed facility, to be called "Luna Christian Academy,” will occupy the existing and currently vacant 7,728 square foot space previously occupied by the Premier Academy. Premier Academy was a private school for kindergarten through twelfth grade that first occupied the space in 2012, but closed in 2022. However, when Premier Academy closed, the Special Land Use expired. If approved, Luna Christian Academy proposes to start with grades one (1) to three (3), and start service to additional grades as student enrollment increases. Student drop-off time will be between 8:00 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. with afternoon pick-up between the hours of 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., and staff is anticipated to leave the premises by 4:00 p.m.
Besides the Associated Builders and Contractors corporate offices and ABC Institute, other existing tenants within the site include a physical therapist and a Dunkin Donuts. The applicant is not proposing exterior changes or building expansion, thus no additional parking is required. Existing access onto Coconut Creek Parkway will also remain as currently constructed, and no changes to onsite traffic circulation are proposed or required at this time. All required landscape buffers and setbacks that currently exist on the subject property will remain.
Public Involvement:
Per Section 13-35 (c) of the City Code of Ordinances, property owners within five hundred (500) feet of the subject property were notified by mail of the Special Land Use request and invited to attend the City Commission meeting. Three Hundred and Forty Four (344) public hearing notices were mailed by the City on November 30, 2023. To date, staff has not received any public inquiries related to the project.
As part of the application review process and in addition to the above Code-required public hearing notices, the applicant was required to perform community outreach in an effort to provide project information to neighboring property owners, tenants, and associations, as well as hear and address concerns and issues raised through this process. The applicant has submitted a Community Outreach Summary for this project, which is included as part of the agenda backup for this application. Key efforts resulting from their outreach included a meeting held at 3720 Coconut Creek Parkway, Suite J, on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., which was intended to provide a forum for businesses.
RECOMMENDATION:
City staff finds the request consistent with Section 13-35, "Special Land Use,” of the City of Coconut Creek Land Development Code and recommends approval subject to the outstanding DRC comments, which are included in the Planning & Zoning Board Agenda backup and are available online for your review.
The Planning and Zoning Board, at its November 8, 2023 meeting, recommended approval of this application subject to the following conditions:
1. Outstanding DRC comments remain effective and must be addressed as stated therein.
2. The maximum student capacity is limited to 100 students from kindergarten to eighth grade, subject to compliance with Florida Building Code occupancy limits.
FISCAL IMPACT: N/A