Council rejects special-use permit for daycare at Victory Shops site; proposal for Spanish immersion preschool drew mixed council reaction

The Saksley City Council on Sept. 15 voted down a special-use permit request to allow a daycare (Spanish Schoolhouse) at a pad within the Victory Shops development, a site generally located south of State Highway 78 and east of Woodbridge Parkway. The Planning and Zoning Commission had recommended approval by a 6-0 vote; council debate split on land-use and market-saturation concerns.

Matt Robinson, the city’s development services representative, told council the 5.3-acre development includes multiple pad sites and a proposed childcare tenant in the southeast corner of a new retail shell; the site plan calls for a six-foot masonry wall and canopy trees to buffer adjacent residential areas, and lighting would be shielded to meet city standards. Mary Petty and others explained that landscape buffers and walling are part of the site plan to mitigate light and noise.

Pierce Autry, representing the developer Victory Real Estate Group, described Spanish Schoolhouse as a national Spanish-immersion preschool chain that operates smaller, community-oriented centers (typically about 125 students), and said the concept drives daily foot traffic that, the developer said, is attractive to future retail tenants. “Spanish Schoolhouse started in 1999... It is the nation's largest language immersion preschool,” Autry said, and later added the concept enrolls both English-speaking families (about 70 percent) and native Spanish speakers (about 30 percent), which the applicant said increases demand across a wide market.

Several council members — including Pro Tem Frank and Council Member Edwards — voiced concern that the site takes scarce commercial frontage and would add a fourth daycare in the immediate area. Council members also questioned parking, drainage and whether the use represented the “highest and best” commercial use for limited retail acreage. Others on the council supported the use as a buffer between retail and residential parcels and said dual-language programs are in demand; supporters noted the SUP would run with the property and a future operator could replace the tenant only if the replacement fit the SUP’s parameters.

After discussion the council voted on the motion to approve Item E-2; the motion failed with multiple no votes recorded (Mayor Pro Tem Frank, Miss Howard, Mister Millsap and Mister Fressenberg voted no). The Planning & Zoning recommendation for approval and the applicant presentation remain part of the public record. No members of the public provided speaker cards at the council hearing.

Council did not adopt the special-use permit ordinance; the property remains subject to existing commercial zoning and any new tenant proposing daycare would need either a new SUP or to demonstrate they fit the zoning without an SUP.