Kiddie Academy seeks special exception for proposed 1550 Robert Crane Highway childcare center

The Zoning Hearing Examiner heard testimony on SE-2025005, an application for a Kiddie Academy child care center at 1550 Robert Crane Highway in the Amber Ridge subdivision. The applicant proposes a roughly 10,000-square-foot building, a playground of about 5,000–5,800 square feet and a licensed capacity of 154 children, with anticipated operating hours roughly 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Mamata Desari” the applicant’s owner, testified the site is currently vacant land and will be owned by Surrey Real Estate 2 LLC and that the project would create local jobs and childcare capacity. “We’re going to construct the childcare business with the 10,000 square foot building and the 5,000 square foot playground,” Desari said during testimony. Jenna Albers, Development Approvals Manager for Kiddie Academy corporate, described the franchise support model and said the company operates more than 382 locations in 40 states.

The applicant’s land-use expert, Eduardo Diaz Campbell, testified the project meets the special-exception standards in Subtitle 27 for day-care centers, citing conformity with the applicable master plan designation (neighborhood mixed use), compliance with development and dimensional standards, and mitigation measures such as fencing, landscaping and a noise study. “I do believe, yes, they have satisfied all the required findings for approval of special exception,” Diaz Campbell testified.

Staff recommended conditions remain under discussion, including requirements for sidewalks along certain frontages, fence details, photometrics and a time limit on outdoor play. Opposing counsel reserved an objection and moved to strike portions of expert testimony tied to an attorney-drafted statement of justification unless an expert-authored report was separately entered in the record; the examiner left that procedural matter open. No final decision was recorded in the provided transcript.

The hearing record contains multiple technical exhibits (site plan, landscape plan, photometric plan, tree conservation plan) and staff report references to Subtitle 27 sections and prior subdivision conditions; parties agreed to submit revised exhibits and condition language for staff review before a final determination.