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Gunbarrel school plans expansion

Citing a years-long increase in admission requests, an independent school for students with learning disabilities is seeking Boulder County's approval to add a classroom building to its one-acre campus in Gunbarrel.

In an application filed with the county's Permitting and Planning Department, the Hillside School, located at 7415 Lookout Road in Gunbarrel, is requesting a modification of the site's existing development plan to allow for the construction of a 10,500 square-foot building that will accommodate up to 36 additional full-time students.

"We currently have a long waiting list of families who are desperate to get into the Hillside program, and we have to turn them away due to space limitations," Hillside Head of School Jill Michaud wrote in an email interview with the Courier. "We want to be able to open our doors to accommodate more students who would greatly benefit from Hillside."

The nonprofit Hillside School was founded in 2005 to serve students with dyslexia and associated conditions including dysgraphia and dyscalculia. Current enrollment is 64 students total, with 32 students attending one of two daily sessions, in the morning (8 - 11 a.m.) or afternoon (12 - 3 p.m.).

According to its website, Hillside students receive "individualized instruction" in reading, writing, and math from teachers who are "highly trained, experienced, and certified." Meanwhile, they remain enrolled at their primary school, which they attend during the other half of the day, with the goal of ultimately returning there full-time.

Michaud said requests for admission to Hillside have accelerated over the past five years as parents "are becoming more aware of the signs to look for in regard to learning differences and are having their children evaluated earlier." She expects the disruption in the traditional school year to accelerate demand even further, as many parents assumed the role of teacher during distance learning.

"While the growing demand already existed, we are now seeing an even greater need since the start of the pandemic," she said. "Dyslexic students are falling further behind with the remote platforms, and with parents having to take a more active role in their children's daily school work, they are recognizing the need for intervention."

The school currently resides in a 4,262 square foot building with eight classrooms serving four students and one teacher at a time. The new building will allow the school to admit up to 68 students in each session, while keeping the teacher to student ratio low. However, Hillside doesn't plan to admit that many new students right away, Michaud explained.

"As we have done since Hillside was founded in 2005, we approach expansion thoughtfully and methodically," she wrote. "We have a five-year plan that slowly increases the number of classrooms, adding about 1-2 additional at a time. This allows us to spend the time needed to truly work with our new faculty and ensure Hillside maintains the exceptional quality and integrity of our programs."

Hillside's initial proposal calls for a "two-story wood, light frame building" that will be divided into 12 classrooms of approximately 350 square feet each. It will be situated on the east side of the lot, with the lowest end dug into a sloped grade, and have an exterior finish of "fiber cement panel/board, stucco and possibly metal panel."

The additional students will mean more vehicular traffic in the vicinity of Lookout Road and 71st Street, according to a traffic study included in Hillside's application to the county. At maximum capacity, it is projected that the school will generate as many as 384 trips per day, with a peak of 96 during pick-up and drop off times. That is expected to have "little impact" in the short term, but could result in "increased delay at the 71st and 75th Street intersections" in the long term.

As for parking, Hillside has a written agreement with its closest neighbor, Niwot United Methodist Church, that gives it access to 40 additional parking spots, which are largely empty when school is in session. To enhance access to these spaces, Hillside plans to build a new walkway connecting the school's existing lot with NUMC's.

Hillside's proposal is still in the early stages of the county's review process. Last month, planning staff sent copies of the plans to adjacent property owners and other county agencies to review for potential conflicts. Once cleared, the proposal will eventually go before the county planning commission and, ultimately, the Board of County Commissioners. If everything stays on track, construction will start in 2021, with a completion date of 2022.

So far, the plans have generated mixed commentary on the social media app NextDoor, but the school says it is open to discussion with nearby residents.

"Maintaining a positive relationship with our neighbors is very important to Hillside," Michaud wrote. "Once it is determined what is allowed after our zoning review, we have plans to host our neighbors for a forum to hear what their requests are prior to moving into the building permit phase. We want to take into consideration any concerns, suggestions, and thoughts our neighbors have as we go into finalizing the building plans."

To review Hillside's proposal, visit the county's development application website and search for docket number SU-20-0005, or contact planning staff at 303-441-3930 or [email protected].

 

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