Richardson City Council approved a special permit to allow a barber school to operate at the Richland Shopping Center.

The application was submitted by Albert Arias, a licensed barber who has operated for approximately 10 years. It was unanimously approved at the March 28 City Council meeting after first being presented to the City Plan Commission March 1.

Named Modern Image Barber and Stylist School, the barber school is scheduled to be built in an existing building at 1300 E. Belt Line Road. Arias said he expects to open the school within the next two months.

Arias is the business owner of two Modern Image Stylist locations in Garland and Mesquite, and has run the barber shops for the last four years. Arias said he is qualified to instruct students because of his experience in the field.

According to the permit application, the 1,750-square-foot school would include fourteen cutting stations and a 300-square-foot classroom and breakroom area. The projected student enrollment is approximately ten students at any given time, according to Arias.

The proposed hours of operation for the barber school are 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Another provision of the permit requires sufficient parking for the school, with one parking spot required for every 100 square feet of classroom area.

Students at the barber school will be taught theory and techniques in the classroom and then continue their training on the main salon floor at the cutting stations. Graduates are given the ability to obtain their own license and operate at a licensed barber shop.