By Michael Pineda
[email protected]
The question of whether an Epic School microsite will find a home in the downtown district will soon be presented to the Planning Commission.
A meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday at the Ardmore Public Library. One item on the agenda is an application by Epic Charter Schools for a conditional building permit for a micro-site educational facility at 127 W. Main Street. The building is owned by Jeff St. Clair and has been leased to Epic.
The proposal has generated an above-average response from the public: 13 letters protested against Epic, one supported it. The Planning Commission’s decision is a recommendation. The City Commission will ultimately decide whether to approve or reject the proposal.
“I feel like once a year we get one of those items that generates discussion in the city, and I definitely think this is one of those items,” said Jessica Scott, community development director. “It’s generated a lot of response, and usually in my planning commission I might get one or two responses. I might get a phone call. This item has generated a lot of letters and a lot of phone calls.”
Scott said the protest was prompted by fears that an educational facility in the downtown district would hinder efforts to create an entertainment district. It is similar to a protest in 2018 when the First Christian Church, which hoped to move to Main Street, was denied a conditional building permit.
A business that primarily serves or sells alcohol may not be located within 300 feet of a church or school.
Scott said all buildings in the downtown district have been zoned commercial, with the intent of creating a thriving commercial area with residential options upstairs. There are many businesses that fit into this zone, from restaurants to boutiques. If it is a school, university or other type of educational facility, a conditional educational use permit is required.
“We classified this as other (type) because it’s Epic Charter School and it’s kind of a hybrid school. But it’s still an educational institution, there will still be kids there.”
At the time of the 2018 protest, St. Clair was among those protesting the location of a church in the downtown district. In the protest, he said his restaurant, The Sunset Grill, located at the proposed Epic site, was the first phase of a plan to transform the area into a restaurant strip.
“Most of them are planned to serve alcohol,” St. Clair wrote. “The First Christian Church on the same block would have a negative impact on future development plans for the buildings east of my property.”
The Sunset Grill has since closed and is undergoing renovations. Attempts to reach St. Clair by phone and email were unsuccessful.
David Plesher, owner of Main Street Coffee, also filed a protest at the time, raising concerns ranging from the loss of potential retail space to the redevelopment of the Depot District to the classification of church use. Plesher is now a member of the City Commission and said he has not yet made up his mind on the Planning Commission’s current issue, but he noted that the economy has changed since pre-Covid times.
“I’ve heard a lot of pros and cons,” he said. “I haven’t made a decision yet. I’ll wait until Thursday when I have all the facts.”
Plesher’s wife, Tammy Volino Plesher, submitted the only letter of support Tuesday afternoon, saying that the businesses would benefit from the customer traffic generated by Epic and that many of the stores were being used solely for storage, making the downtown area a ghost town.
“I have lived in Ardmore my entire life and have witnessed the decline of the downtown area,” she wrote. “It is truly sad to say the least. I believe great things can come from the conditional building permit for Epic Charter School.”
The protest letters submitted had a common theme. In addition to restrictions on events where alcohol is served, there were concerns about the impact of conditional planning permission on the alignment of the inner city precinct and the restrictions it would impose.
“By repurposing Main Street for a school, we risk stunting the growth of this important economic center,” wrote business owner Chris Peters. “Potential investors and entrepreneurs could be discouraged from opening new businesses in the area because the presence of a school would limit the types of businesses that can operate on Main Street.”
A spokesperson for Epic Charter Schools said the proposed location would serve hundreds of families in the Ardmore area and the school looks forward to meeting with the public.
“More than 600 Epic families live within 30 minutes of our planned downtown Ardmore micro site,” said Rob Crissinger, Epic’s executive director of communications. “We look forward to engaging with city leaders and residents to demonstrate our commitment to joining Ardmore’s growing downtown community as a supportive and enthusiastic partner in its long-term success.”
