91视频

Portland City Council on Thursday reached a consensus to approve a Central Catholic High School expansion plan, despite opposition from the Buckman Community Association. The association had expressed concern about Central Catholic鈥檚 proposal to add a 15-space parking lot across the street from its main buildings.

鈥淲e believe it鈥檚 part of an incremental expansion of the school,鈥� Buckman Community Association member and spokeswoman Linda Gerber said.

Despite residents鈥� concerns about impacts on traffic, livability and property values, the council is expected to allow Central Catholic to expand. However, the private school agreed to some legal restrictions for future expansion, even on properties it now owns.

The master plan calls for an expansion of 40,000 square feet of floor space to school buildings, though Central Catholic expects a net gain of only one classroom. In addition, the school says it won鈥檛 expand student enrollment beyond the present 800-850.

The master plan includes architectural additions, some adjustments to setback rules and road improvements. The most controversial part of the plan, however, is the expansion of the campus to two lots adjacent to the school, which Central Catholic plans to turn into a parking lot.

The school鈥檚 new lot would replace some on-campus spots that would be eliminated because of additions and renovations at existing buildings. A landscaped lot would hold 15 vehicles during school hours and 35 vehicles in a 鈥渟tacked鈥� organization during weekend events.

Presently, Central Catholic provides only 17 off-street parking spots; most commuting students and staffers park on nearby streets. The school has created a series of 鈥済ood neighbor agreements鈥� with the community, and has agreed that students should park on Stark Street rather than in front of homes.

Central Catholic attorney Stephen Janik said that the proposal for a new parking lot was a response to residents鈥� concerns about parking that were raised during the public involvement process for the master plan.

Gerber said that residents think the main problem with parking is one of enforcement and monitoring on behalf of the school: If staffers told students and event attendees where to park, an extra lot would not be needed. The neighbors believe that the parking lot proposed by the school would negatively affect the neighborhood.

鈥�(The parking lot) will impact livability on the block and property values of houses,鈥� Gerber said.

鈥淣obody wants to live next to a parking lot,鈥� Buckman resident Charlie Christensen said.

Additionally, the Buckman Community Association is concerned that the school鈥檚 proposed parking lot is one step of a bigger plan to expand further 鈥� possibly to three additional lots, where residential houses exist 鈥� on land the school owns and rents.

The additional lots owned by the school became a concern when a paragraph mentioning possible future plans to use the buildings for administrative uses and classes was discovered by residents in one version of the school鈥檚 master plan application. But that paragraph doesn鈥檛 exist in the latest version.

At Thursday鈥檚 council meeting, Janik said that the school would agree, as part of its master plan, to not use the houses in the future for anything other than residential purposes.

Janik agreed to put that intention in writing as a 鈥渞estrictive covenant,鈥� which will be required as part of a condition of approval for the rest of Central Catholic鈥檚 master plan for expansion.

City planner Douglas Hardy said the agreement was unusual, particularly because the properties in question were not within the footprint of the school鈥檚 master plan. However, he agreed that the covenant could be added as a condition of City Council鈥檚 approval of the plan.

The new parking lot, and the rest of the school鈥檚 10-year, conditional-use master plan, will be subject to a vote by City Council on Oct. 5. The council will add conditions to its approval, including a legal agreement regarding the homes owned by the school, and another that the new parking lot be closed during hours it is not in use.

As of Thursday, the Buckman Community Association was not sure whether it would appeal City Council鈥檚 decision to the state Land Use Board of Appeals. That decision will be made by the association鈥檚 board at an upcoming meeting, Gerber said.