A proposed private high school has received a pass from New Westminster city council.
John Knox Christian School is on course to open a new high school in New Westminster in 2018.
New Westminster city council has given third reading to a zoning amendment bylaw for 260 12th St., which would allow John Knox Christian School and Calvary Worship Centre to build a school and sanctuary. The building could include up to 56,736 square feet (5,271 square metres) of space.
“The school would have up to 450 students and 30 staff,” said Jackie Teed, the city’s acting director of development services. “The sanctuary of the worship centre would hold up to 250 people.”
Principal Anne Ferguson told council the school took “a bit of a risk” by demolishing the building on the site before getting the city’s approval to build the school but did so after determining the land would be more valuable without the building on the site, regardless of council’s decision.
Adam Isfeld, general manager of Key West Ford, attended Monday’s public hearing to voice concern that the development would be a “complete disaster” to the flow of traffic in the area. He expressed concern the project would create safety issues because of the heavy traffic on 12th Street and neighbouring roads.
“It is an accident waiting to happen,” he said of hundreds of students arriving and leaving the site each day. “We see accidents on Third and 12th all the time.”
According to Ferguson, the school has staggered start times, so students arrive at different times of the day. She said the school is committed to dealing with students in a safe manner and hired Bunt and Associates to develop a transportation-demand management plan for the site that includes a designated pickup and drop-off space on site.
According to the school’s website, there has been an “urgent need” for a new building to house its high school students for many years. The school is expected to open in September 2018.
Coun. Patrick Johnstone said he’s cognizant of the concerns about safety and pedestrian access in the area but feels staff and the city’s advisory committees have time before the school is built to consider what improvements may be needed.
“I don’t think we should use those concerns to prevent the growth of the lower 12th neighbourhood. This is something that fits in the (area) plan,” he said. “I really appreciate the transportation-demand management measures the school is taking. I think that’s a really important aspect of developing schools in our community. We want to be a city where you can walk or use transit or alternate means to get to places where you are studying.”
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr said the city needs to focus on ensuring the concerns raised by Key West Ford are addressed before the school is complete. He noted safety issues arose when Qayqayt Elementary School opened before the traffic plans around the site were complete.
“That caused some issues with regards to safety, and we had to work quite quickly,” he said. “I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen again, that we have those in place and we really address the concerns that were brought forward today with regards to the safety of those children in that neighbourhood.”
Coun. Mary Trentadue said she’s excited to see a successful, good-looking business going into the lower part of 12th Street.
“I think the bottom of 12th Street has great potential,” she said.
