HOPES Wins Armory Approval

A Head Start program for 270 young children will occupy the Plainfield Armory by September 2014, after renovations and changes required by the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

The board approved the application Tuesday with numerous conditions regarding traffic, parking, landscaping and other specifications aimed at helping it fit in with adjoining residential neighborhoods. The historic Armory is just off the South Avenue commercial corridor at the corner of Leland Avenue and East Seventh Street, near the Netherwood Heights Historic District.

Tuesday's special meeting at Emerson School was a continuation of a hearing that began on March 6 (see post here). The applicant, HOPES CAP Inc., made numerous changes in the meantime to address board concerns and agreed to several more Tuesday. Board Chairman Scott Belin and Planning Director Bill Nierstedt also urged HOPES President Ora Welch to work closely with city Police and Fire divisions on their safety requirements for the school.

A key issue was traffic related to student drop-off and pickup, as there are three other schools nearby. Traffic expert Craig Peregoy said his study of the location showed the anticipated increase in traffic would not tax the capacity of the roads. The organization will be busing in 100 children and because many parents in the program do not have cars, HOPES Finance and Human Resources Director Simona Ovanezian said she expected only about 50 parents to be driving to the school. Many of the 76 staff members will also be taking public transportation to the school, she said, which will further lessen traffic.

Besides seeking zoning approvals, HOPES was facing funding and grant deadlines and asked for a letter confirming the board's decision, which Belin and Nierstedt agreed to provide.

In contrast to the large crowd on March 6 in City Hall Library, only a handful of residents and a dozen or so HOPES staffers attended the meeting at Emerson School. at the new location. The only public comment came from Jim Spear, a resident and former president of Netherwood Heights. Spear asked the board to consider requiring a wrought iron fence instead of the proposed chain link fence for the rear of the property. The applicant quickly agreed.

Spear also asked the board to keep in mind that a road project called for special crosswalks on Leland Avenue to match new ones on South Avenue, and he did not want them to be painted over when curbs were marked for no parking. Nierstedt said the contractor would be informed.

The new location will serve to consolidate Head Start programs now operating in three other parts of the city. It will have 20 classrooms as well as a gym and a kitchen, allowing for exercise and nutrition options not available in the other locations. When the board granted approval in a roll call vote, HOPES staffers broke into applause. Ovanezian told Plaintalker HOPES expected to be ready to open at the Armory for the 2014 school year.

"Maybe sooner," she said as staffers rejoiced.

--Bernice