Preschool expansion proposed
The owner of a home-based childcare center in Annandale is seeking a zoning special exception to convert the property to a preschool.
Reena Abu-Taleb described the proposal at the Mason District Land Use Committee meeting on May 28.
The Annandale Children’s Academy, at 5116 Columbia Road, currently serves 10 children, ages 4-5, in an addition to a single-family home.
Abu-Taleb is proposing to expand the program to 47 children six weeks old to age 5. She plans to remodel the home, converting the bedrooms to classrooms, and will no longer live there. She also wants to expand the outdoor play area with new equipment and natural elements.
To comply with county rules, she will need to improve the sidewalks along Columbia Road and Braddock Road. That means some of the trees and other landscaping will need to be removed and replaced. She also plans to expand the parking lot from six to 12 spaces.
The preschool would have four staff members. The hours would be 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekdays, with occasional programs on Saturdays.
The Planning Commission is expected to hold a hearing on the proposal on July 17.
8 responses to “Preschool expansion proposed”
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More good childcare is needed in NoVa.
We do not need any more impervious surfaces in the area nor tree loss, nor more traffic.
Agree with both points above, but is a single family house in a neighborhood a good location for a commercial-sized daycare center? Likely would also need to provide stormwater management. Would be interesting to see how this all gets squeezed in and remains acceptable to the neighborhood.
I welcome more small businesses like this. I am sure the county and city will make them jump through hoops to become established. Let’s not make it more difficult for small business by making uneducated comments like Beck.
Who’s we? Im sure her daycare customers will be delighted.
This school is just what the community needs. The owners are dedicated to educating and enhancing children’s lives. They deserve the opportunity to be able to spread their love for teaching to more students. Being at the corner of the street should minimize any extra traffic to the neighborhood. It’s understandable for the neighbors to want to resist change, but I truly believe this school is going to be asset to the community and everyone will see that in time.
It is a terrible location to add all the additional traffic. Two cars waiting to turn left will back up traffic at an already dicey intersection. There are currently no sidewalks on Columbia road so I’m mystified as to how cutting down trees and vegetation for a sidewalk only on one corner helps anything. It seems to me there are plenty of better, more easily accessible locations than this one.
Bad idea. This isn’t zoned for a business for a reason. It’s a residential area