Plans to expand school for dyslexia in Belmont hits pushback

Neil Tuch, head of school at Charles Armstrong, said the school expects to see a wave of new students, especially since Senate Bill 114 went into effect, which requires public schools to implement early-stage testing to screen for reading challenges. He added that requesting an increased enrollment of 30 new students was a purposely modest number.

“We really wanted to put forward a modest number that people couldn’t argue was a big number when we’re surrounded by 4,000 other students at other schools literally within a mile of us,” Tuch said, adding that they’d also like more access to their campus during nonschool hours as well.

“We live with constraints that no schools in Belmont live with,” he said.

But much of the neighborhood sentiment from the early 2000s remains. During a Planning Commission meeting Jan. 6, one resident said the plans would change “the integrity of the neighborhood.” Another resident, Ri chard Koenigsberg, said the proposal would create noise “far beyond what is reasonable.”

“This is a neighborhood where families, seniors and longtime residents rely on a peaceful environment,” Koenigsberg said during the meeting, adding that approving the plans would “materially diminish the quality of life for those who call this area home.”

Another, Ed Geise, said he was concerned about the view from his backyard if the gymnasium were built.

“Twenty years ago, we almost stopped our construction [on a pool] because of this gym that was going to go back there, and I just hope you guys aren’t looking to put in a gym behind our house again,” Geise said during the meeting. “We love our house, we love the view, we love the trees. It would ruin us if we had to look at this.”

Others were concerned about potentially downgraded emergency access as a result of more congestion, however, Community Development Director Carlos De Melo said the San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department did not indicate any access concerns when reviewing the project.

“Claims that our fire department is precluded from providing emergency services doesn’t appear to be a correct assessment,” De Melo said. “Just like with any other street in the city or elsewhere, cars can’t block travel ways when a fire [truck] or ambulance is trying to navigate our city streets to get to an emergency.”

Charles Armstrong is close to several other schools, and supporters of its plans said it was unfair to deny it the right to expand on account of traffic conditions for which it is not the main source, adding that the school provides vital education services and does a thorough job mitigating traffic and respecting neighbors.

Resident Warren Gibson was on the Planning Commission when it rejected the original 2005 proposal — though he voted in favor of it — and said the school should be able to expand after decades of using the same facility.

“I believe an injustice was done when a similar proposal was denied in 2005. ... It’s bothered me ever since,” he said. “I believe the sound of children at play within limits is a joyful thing, not a nuisance.”

While the Planning Commission was generally supportive of the project, some commissioners were concerned with the gymnasium’s proposed design and distance from a few homes. The City Council will make the final determination on the project.