The matter will be reexamined in an upcoming council meeting.
The background
In January, council approved a specific-use permit for the AISD property located on FM 407 near The Well Community Church and prohibited access to the property from Postmaster Road and Sam Davis Road, according to a town news release.
The February vote was on a specific-use permit for a proposed middle school to be located on the north side of FM 407. Council decided to allow secondary emergency-only access utilizing a locked gate, another town news release states.
Mayor Rick Bradford said the town has a requirement for any building over 40,000 square feet to be appropriate with the development area. The property will initially hold a middle school followed by an elementary school.
“The discussion about the SUP included elements of accessing Postmaster Road as potentially as emergency access for fire and police, but the school at that point actually was asking to utilize Postmaster and ultimately Sam Davis roads as a route for buses to come in and out of the property, which is high impact,” he said.
The details
He explained that Sam Davis Road is not built for bus traffic and is still “essentially an old country road.” AISD can proceed with construction plans because the building permit was approved, Bradford said.
Zooming in
The approval went into effect after the vote, but the matter will return to council March 18. Council will consider the possibility of using Postmaster Road as an emergency access-only road, Bradford said.
Town officials have met with AISD officials to discuss the property's challenges.
“We continue to work with them to try to figure the best approach so that the school [district] can develop the property in a safe, efficient matter,” he said, adding there’s a “path forward” to still meet council's wishes and keep traffic off Postmaster Road and Sam Davis Road.
