The details
The 12,450-square-foot building, located at 500 N. Coit Road, was previously occupied by various medical service providers and is currently zoned for local retail. According to city documents, the child care center plans to sign a 10-year initial lease term if given final approval at an upcoming City Council meeting.
Willowbrae, a Canadian child care provider, is known for its play-based education model. It opened its first U.S. location in Georgetown, Texas, in June and currently has five others in the U.S.
The Richardson facility would serve children from infancy to 6 years old, with a maximum enrollment of 220 students. The facility will take over the entire building and convert part of the existing parking area into an enclosed outdoor playground.
What they’re saying
Elise Dougherty, a resident who said she was one of the closest neighbors to the site, voiced her opposition to the child care center at the meeting. Traffic is already an issue in the area during peak times, she said, and she expressed concerns that drop-off and pick-up queues will block access to nearby businesses.
“I’m representing a handful of neighbors that have young children, but not day care-age kids, about the traffic,” Dougherty said. “The traffic is a major issue there."
The center would likely increase surrounding traffic during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up, but senior planner Derica Peters said city staff worked with the center to produce a traffic circulation plan that will ensure parents are redirected from the nearby neighborhood.
Willowbrae will be required to set up traffic cones and a sign during drop-off and pick-up to prevent parents from turning right on Northlake Drive and entering the adjacent neighborhood when leaving the school at peak hours. Peters said school staff members will also manage the traffic flow during those times.
“I can’t think of another way to mitigate that traffic issue at that point any more than what is being proposed here,” Vice Chairman Jeremy Thomason said. “I support this, and I do understand and appreciate the traffic issue as something that there is a plan for, and then we’ll just have to see how it works.”
