Seattle School District requests city zoning waiver to expand Loyal Heights Elementary

The Seattle School District wants to double the size of Loyal Heights Elementary, and they are requesting a waiver from city zoning regulations to begin the rebuild. There will be a meeting to discuss the request at the Loyal Heights Elementary School lunchroom(2511 NW 80th St) on September 15 at 6:30 p.m.

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Plans for the expanded Loyal Heights Elementary School (view PDF here)

The district is anticipating an expected enrollment increase from 450 to 660 students in the coming years, and the plans include a three-story addition onto the original building and modernizing the current structure. The requested zoning waiver includes an increased lot coverage from 35 percent to 50 percent, increasing the maximum height allowance from 35 feet to 60 feet, and eliminating requirements to provide off-street parking. The district also requests to continue the on-street bus loading.

At the meeting, Seattle Schools will provide a presentation about the requested changes before the Development Standards Departure Advisory Committee, which is a group of neighbors, school district and city representatives. The public is invited to make comments following the presentation.

The committee will make recommendations to move forward, whether that be granting the requests outright, grant with conditions, or fully deny the zoning modifications. According to the city, the final decision is made by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development.

Community members who cannot attend are welcomed to submit written comments to Maureen Sheehan with the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods at P.O. Box 94649, Seattle, WA 98124-4649, or via email at maureen.sheehan@seattle.gov. For more information, call Sheehan at 684-0302.

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