Belmont Planning Commission Study Session on Charles Armstrong School Expansion – November 4, 2025

The Belmont Planning Commission held a study session on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, to introduce the proposed expansion of the Charles Armstrong School at 1405 Solana Drive. The meeting began at 7:00 p.m. with all commissioners present except Commissioners Majeski (absent) and Twig (arrived later). The session was informational only; no votes were taken on the project. Public comment was received both in chambers and via Zoom, with seven written comments submitted before the cutoff.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of October 7, 2025 Meeting Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the minutes from the October 7, 2025 planning commission meeting (5-0 vote).

Community Forum

• A resident spoke during the community forum (Item 3) regarding a certificate of compliance (COC) for two lots he owns in Belmont (HRO2 zoning). He requested a review of the COC exemption, noting that a neighboring lot from the same seller had already received a building permit. Director DeMello had spoken with him earlier and suggested a follow-up meeting. No other comments were received.

Commissioner Announcements

• Commissioner Kramer announced that the City of Belmont is accepting applications for various commissions, including the Planning Commission, with a deadline of January 9, 2026.

Discussion Items – Study Session: Charles Armstrong School Expansion

The commission held a study session (Item 6) to review the proposed expansion of Charles Armstrong School, a private school serving students with dyslexia and related learning differences. Staff and the applicant presented the project scope, which includes two phases:

• Phase 1 (targeted start May 2026): Approximately 11,900 square feet of new academic wing (music, art, maker space, movement room, science lab, six standard classrooms, faculty workspace, and speech-language offices).
• Phase 2 (anticipated 2031-2032): Approximately 11,100 square feet for an athletic/community center (gym, PE offices, kitchen) on the upper blacktop.
• Additional site improvements include landscaping, stormwater management, slope stabilization, and utility work.

The project also requests operational changes:

• Increase student enrollment cap from 260 to 290 (approximately 11.5% increase).
• Increase faculty/staff by 11 new members (administrative/support staff remain unchanged).
• Extend campus access hours from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on weeknights.
• Allow limited weekend access for school events (e.g., 2-4 special events per year with neighborhood pickups).
• Permit occasional weekend use of McDougall Park (shared use, subject to Parks and Rec agreement).

Entitlements required: Plan development amendment (conceptual and detailed development plans), conditional use permit amendment, design review, tree removal permit (approximately 40 trees removed with replacement plantings), and grading permit (exceeds 50 cubic yards and 2,000 square feet disturbance).

Environmental review: An environmental evaluation is underway and will be included in the January 2026 public hearing materials.

Project history: The site was originally McDougall School (1950s), converted to a private school in 1984, with subsequent approvals in 1987-1988 and a conditional use permit in 2002 allowing up to 260 students. The current proposal is the first building expansion in 41 years.

Neighborhood outreach: The school held three neighborhood meetings and offered a $100,000 contribution for McDougall Park improvements. The school also highlighted community benefits such as open playgrounds, basketball courts, accessible parking for park users, and free dyslexia training for local teachers.

Public Comments & Testimony

Public comment was heard from approximately 11 speakers in chambers and 1 on Zoom, plus written comments summarized by staff. Positions were mixed:

Support (6 speakers – Eric Bluestein, Daniel Swisson, Zachary Donis, Alyssa Warall, Mark Moore, Karen Shane, Colleen Carter, and Helene Elisavida via Zoom):

• Several parents and staff shared personal stories of how Armstrong transformed their children's lives. They emphasized the school's mission, the need for more space (faculty currently have no workspace, no gym, no lunch kitchen), and the careful design of the buildings to minimize neighborhood impact. They noted the school's long history in the community (41 years) and its contributions (free teacher training, open campus for recreation). Supporters argued the project is well-planned and that the gym location (upper blacktop) preserves the proven drop-off/pickup system in the lower lot. One speaker pointed out that the neighborhood was originally built with a school and that public schools can expand without city approval, so neighbors should appreciate the current process. Another noted that traffic from other area schools is already significant and Armstrong's staggered dismissal helps.

Opposition/Concerns (3 speakers – Richard Huff, Jeff Chriswall, Donna Geise):

• Longtime neighborhood resident Richard Huff recalled broken promises from the school's original move-in regarding traffic and expansion. Jeff Chriswall and Donna Geise live adjacent to the proposed gym and raised concerns about building scale (23,000+ square feet), noise (gym buzzers, HVAC, music), smells from the proposed kitchen, and traffic impacts on narrow streets. They argued the gym is a repeat of a rejected 2005 proposal and is out of scale with the low-density residential zone. They requested the gym component be denied or relocated to a satellite site. One speaker invited commissioners to visit their backyard to see the impact.

Written comments: Seven letters were received before 4:00 p.m. (some supportive, some with concerns) and two after the cutoff.

Key Outcomes

• No decisions or votes were taken; this was a study session only.
• The next steps in the public hearing process were confirmed:
  1. City Council study session – November 25, 2025
  2. Planning Commission public hearing (recommendation) – January 6, 2026
  3. City Council public hearing (first reading) – January 27, 2026
  4. City Council second reading (if approved) – February 10, 2026
• Staff will continue analyzing the project and prepare the environmental evaluation and findings for the January hearings.
• The commission will have additional meetings on November 18, December 2, and December 16, 2025.