POLL: Should the South Brunswick Zoning Board Approve PIACS?

The ongoing saga of a charter school seeking to open in South Brunswick could reach a conclusion this week. After two applications and nearly two years of hearings before the South Brunswick Zoning Board of Adjustments, a vote on the proposed site of the Princeton International Academy Charter School (PIACS) at 12 Perrine Road could occur at Thursday evening's hearing.

An estimated 170 students from the South Brunswick, Princeton, and West-Windsor-Plainsboro school districts would begin at PIACS in the first year of operation. Within four years, PIACS’ enrollment is expected to grow to 290 students in the K-5 school.

Testimony is expected to continue from applicant 12 P and Associates, whose witnesses will return to answer questions about the site plan that still need to be addressed. Board of Education attorney Kevin Sheehan said at the last hearing in February that he will present two witnesses related to traffic and planning on behalf of the opposition. 

The site plan for the 44,827-square-foot building calls for 25,351-square-feet to be used for educational purposes, while the remaining space would be unused pending future expansion. The unused portion of the building would be inaccessible from the inside.

The building's current office and warehouse space are to be converted into classrooms. An 11,000-square-foot playground will also be constructed with a 4-foot high fence surrounding it.

There would be 14 classrooms, five support classrooms for art and music, four faculty offices, a reception area, a nurse's office, and 9 bathrooms. There would be no gym or cafeteria, but there would be a multi-purpose room to possibly fill those needs.

Plans for the school would require Perrine Road to be widened from 12-feet to 20-feet across the frontage of the property. Concerns remain about traffic backup from the Perrine Road-Schalks Crossing Road intersection, which is approximately 480 feet from the school entrance.

During peak hours for traffic at the intersection, close to 1,000 vehicles are projected to be on Perrine Road and Schalks Crossing Road. Projecting a 2 percent growth in traffic per year, by the fourth year of existence for PIACS there would be an additional 65 cars added to the road, with about 350 seconds of wait time at the intersection.

Due to the significant impact of traffic the site is expected to generate, as a condition for approval the applicant would pay for an off-duty police officer to handle the traffic flow during peak hours. 

Testimony is expected to focus on schools being considered inherently beneficial uses from a zoning perspective.

The zoning hearing is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. on March 22 in the auditorium at the .

The public will have an opportunity to address the zoning board and give their thoughts on the PIACS application. Time permitting, the board may vote on the application this week.

Click here to review previous PIACS coverage and learn more about the proposed charter school. Catch up on the zoning issues, the lawsuit filed by PIACS against the three school districts, and information about the PIACS educational program versus that of the South Brunswick School District.

Strictly from a zoning perspective, do you think the South Brunswick Zoning Board of Adjustments should approve the application for PIACS? Why or not? What are your concerns with the location on 12 Perrine Road? Share your thoughts in the comments.