Apollo Junior High set for middle school expansion after rezoning approval

“We’re putting in a new classroom wing that will be a whole new face of the school along Apollo Road,” said Brian Nelson with HKS Architects. “It will look like a brand new school.”

Parking currently north of the building will be removed, and new parking will be added on the east side.

Additions in the expanded wings of the school include a new cafeteria, kitchen, gymnasium and library, Nelson said. Every classroom will be renovated, as well as the band and orchestra spaces. The renovation will also add a new running track, track-and-field practice facilities and a grass practice field.

The City Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval for the rezoning in December.

The school enrollment is expected to increase from 594 students to 834 when the new middle school opens in fall of 2028, with a maximum capacity of 1,000 students.

Zooming in

Senior planner Derica Peters said the renovation includes a new traffic plan for drop-off and pickup around the relocated main entrance, with the goal of keeping cars on-site rather than extending queues into nearby public streets.

“If you’ve gone by Apollo, everybody’s pretty much stopping along Apollo Road in the bike lanes and everywhere else,” said James Watson, RISD’s senior director of operations. “[It’s a] safety hazard.”

The original traffic plan presented to the commission limited exits from the school loop onto Amherst Avenue to left turns only and would restrict parking on the east side of Amherst during peak morning drop-off time.

After concerns raised by Amherst residents and commission members, the commission recommended that the traffic plan allow both left and right turns onto Amherst and that parking should not be restricted on the street.

In response to the changes, RISD’s traffic consultant recommended potentially extending the existing no-parking area on southbound St. Johns Drive at East Belt Line Road.

As part of the rezoning ordinance, RISD agreed to re-evaluate the Traffic Management Plan and explore additional mitigation options if there are resident or city concerns after the middle school opens.

The details

The proposed renovations on Apollo don’t fully comply with its existing zoning standards, so the district requested this rezoning to allow for modified development standards. The modified standards include:

• Higher maximum building height
• No height restrictions on buildings that are allowed within 150 feet of residential areas
• Vinyl-coated chain-link fence allowed to secure track-and-field area
• Fencing for athletic facilities allowed to exceed 8 feet in height
• Chain-link fence and shrubbery allowed to screen mechanical equipment areas
• Up to 10 temporary buildings allowed on-site for use during construction

The RISD school board unanimously approved a guaranteed maximum price of $8.24 million on Feb. 19 for the first phase of the Apollo project, which will include temporary classroom facilities, electrical infrastructure and procurement of equipment with long lead times.

Major construction on Apollo Junior High is anticipated to begin this summer, with completion for all middle schools planned for fall 2028.