Council approves day care

Neighbors had voiced concerns over traffic, noise from children in yard

The third time's the charm.

A request by Cynthia Duffy and Tarek Bissar to open a day care facility at 595 Skyline Road, which first was continued to conduct a traffic study and then ultimately denied by the Henderson Planning Commission, was unanimously approved by the Henderson City Council at its meeting on Feb. 5.

Mayor Jim Gibson, Ward 1 Councilwoman Gerri Schroder, Ward 2 Councilman Andy Hafen, Ward 3 Councilman Jack Clark and Ward 4 Councilman Steve Kirk agreed that although the area should be studied by a traffic advisory committee, the day care use is compatible with the area.

The applicant hired a local company to conduct a traffic analysis of the residential streets surrounding the area. There is freeway access from Horizon Drive, but residents said they were concerned that parents would use side streets because of the traffic on Horizon Drive.

A few neighbors again voiced concerns about traffic and parking on the surrounding residential streets.

The traffic analysis revealed that about 440 cars drive down Chaparral Drive each day. The street is a block north of Horizon Drive.

"Four hundred and forty cars?" resident Kenny Rogers asked. "We have 20 houses on our street -- 440 cars, that's excessive, in my opinion."

Nita's Learning Center representatives completed the traffic analysis and said that 42 children enrolled would create 32 morning and 32 afternoon trips. That's 16 cars in and 16 cars out twice a day. The children would be dropped off and picked up at a staggered pace from 6 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

Rogers said his concern was the side streets in the neighborhood. "It's mayhem on the residential streets," he said.

There already are a few day care centers in the neighborhood. Nita's representatives said the traffic problem is at those facilities and that their center would not significantly affect the problem.

"Something needs to happen," Gibson said. "There needs to be some enforcement done. Public Works needs to look at this."

Kirk said the problem the neighbors have is a traffic issue, not an issue with this business.

"We made a decision years ago that this portion of Horizon (Drive) is commercial," Hafen added.

A few other neighbors mentioned the noise 42 children would make while outside, but Nita's representatives said there would be only 20 children outside at a time for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon.

"I like to hear children outside playing," Kirk said. "It's a sign of a good, healthy community."

The council approved the learning center after Gibson said the concerns of the planning commission had been alleviated. There were a number of conditions included in the approval, including that a curve be put in the driveway that would encourage parents to make a left back onto Skyline Road. The day care owners also must work with the neighbor whose backyard meets with Nita's playground. They could extend the wall and add landscaping. Gibson also asked owners to seriously enforce on-site parking of the employees, and Hafen requested that the business address be changed to Skyline Road, even though it is not safe to actually move the entrance.

FULL AGENDA

For the full agenda, visit the city's Web site at www.cityofhenderson.com. Click on "government," then "public meetings," then "agendas, backup and minutes" and select "city council" from a drop-down menu.

NEXT MEETING

The next City Council meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 at Henderson City Hall, 240 Water St.