It was a familiar scene at the May 21 meeting as members associated with the institution and neighbors who spoke at the March 12 planning commission meeting returned, urging the council to deny the appeal of Marc King and to approve construction of the new 72,705-square-foot building. The new church and school will include a performing arts center, a three-story administration office building, a two-story structure for classrooms, a parish center and a clergy building.

Although King said he agrees that the outdated facility needs to be refurbished for the sake of the students and church members, he also stressed concern about the effect the larger facility will have on the flow of traffic on Saratoga Avenue.

"I believe that education is important," he said. "However, that is not the real issue."

King said that the intersection of Saratoga and Fruitvale avenues is already "problematic" and that he would like to have the city perform a traffic analysis before approving the project.

Resident Barbara Heroux, whose house faces the back of the school, was one of the two neighbors present who spoke in opposition to the plan. She said that the proposed building will have a "detrimental effect on the traffic flow and the neighborhood."

However, Scott Sheldon, the project representative, and staff planner Christine Oosterhous said the traffic issue has already been addressed.

"The appeal based on lack of due process is not accurate," said Sheldon, explaining that traffic and noise mitigation were addressed and evaluated by independent workers. In addition, Oosterhous said that a traffic study was done based on 439 students. She added that the proposed front and rear access areas to the school will help alleviate any traffic congestion.

At the end of the approximately hour-long public hearing, council members Kathleen King, Vice Mayor Ann Waltonsmith and Mayor Nick Streit voted to allow construction of the building. Councilman Stan Bogosian was absent, and Councilman Norman Kline recused himself because of financial affiliation with the church.

Waltonsmith said she considered the issue very seriously and carefully and found no reason to deny approval of the new building. "The process was fair," she said.

King added that "staff did all they could in working with all of the neighbors."

According to Sheldon, the first public meeting was held in 2001; there have been a total of seven community meetings. He added that notices regarding the project were sent to residents within 500 feet of the site.

"The goal of the project is to bring the facility up to speed," he said.

Stephanie Palmer, a resident in favor of the project, added that the new facility will "reflect the community's care for quality education."