Planning Commission Agenda and Packet 2008 07 10

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The Patchwork School Special Review Use Formal Written Responses 1. As the founders of The Patchwork School we propose that 1428 Main Street be used as a small, locally -focused independent school, beginning August 25, 2008. This use is in keeping with the spirit and intent of the community -focused city of Louisville and is strongly supported by many families and community members in the area. In addition to the overwhelming support we have received by the Louisville families enrolling their children for fall, we have also been warmly welcomed by the mayor and the mayor pro tem. (Please see Attachment A.) By creating and sustaining an environment that supports families and specifically offers resources and support to parents of young children, the school will promote a climate of thoughtful and caring parenting. This type of support is indispensable to the community of Louisville, as it is home to a growing number of conscientious and community -oriented families. By offering reasonable and competitive rates, determined by lengthy comparison with similarly situated schools, we address both the need for the school's own economic stability and the economic prosperity of the people of Louisville. 2. Through careful planning and budget projections, as approved by the school's nonprofit board of directors, the school has been thus far, and will continue to be economically stable. The added "check and balance" of our board of directors only serves to more fully ensure that we make wise financial and planning decisions in the best interest of the school's community and the surrounding community. 3. Before this proposal of use for 1428 Main Street, we carefully considered the adequacy of both the internal and external property space, as well as the functions and factors of the immediate area surrounding the school. The internal square footage of the property is ample for our needs as a school, as we were looking to expand our student body and yet still maintain a close-knit school community. The outdoor spaces on the property promote the kind of exploration that we have been envisioning for our preschool/early elementary students, and the fences we have built create spaces that are safe, as well as functional. As a central location in Louisville, the school will be easily accessible to all interested families in the Louisville/Lafayette area, and reasonably accessible to the whole of Boulder county. Transportation options include that of a bus line which picks-up/drops- off almost directly in front of the school. Fair and equitable access to the school is vital to the general welfare of the city, as well as to our school's mission: We work with parents and the community to offer all children an environment which emphasizes freedom and challenge in the learning process, through relationships with each other, with materials, and with the world. The neighborhoods surrounding the property, the pleasant and quiet downtown area