Leet planning commission recommends approval of Quaker Valley high school plan

Quaker Valley School District’s plans for a new high school have cleared another hurdle as Leet planning commission voted 4-0 on Aug. 22 to recommend approval of the preliminary and final site plan.

The proposed 167,000-square-foot school is on 150 acres of land off Camp Meeting Road. The district property straddles Leet Township, Edgeworth and Leetsdale. However, the school itself will be in the township.

Planning commissioner Justin Miller was absent.

Quaker Valley superintendent Tammy Andreyko thanked the planning commission for their professionalism and careful consideration of the plans.

Votes were postponed at several previous planning commission meetings for further discussion and plan reviews by engineers.

“Overwhelmingly, what we know is we want to be safe,” Andreyko said. “We want to create a facility that will last many, many years for our young people and make this community proud, and make it be a destination where people want to come and raise their children.

“We thank you very much for your hard work. We promise you together as a team that we will work hard to create a wonderful and safe facility for your community.”

The planning commission is a recommending body.

The next step would be for the township commissioners to formally vote on the site plan. It is unclear when it may be on their agenda.

Planning commission solicitor Harlan Stone said the district waived any deadline restrictions for the township to act.

The district submitted a site plan in November and made three revisions in response to various engineering notes and public input.

District site civil engineer Geoffrey Phillips said adjustments were made to comply with the township’s subdivision and land development ordinance, referred to at the meeting several times as SALDO.

Before the vote, Stone informed the audience that ordinance compliance was what commissioners were focused on and personal opinions or political factors were not being considered.

Phillips was at the meeting to answer any questions, as were members of the district’s geotechnical engineering firm Garvin Boward Beitko.

Planning commissioners heard from several residents and engineers before their vote.

Leetsdale resident Bill Jasper raised concerns about landslides and said how the district plans to address slope does not comply with the SALDO.

Jasper said he submitted five letters to the township with issues of risk and various recommendations.

He encouraged the planning commission to think about the people living down below the hill on which the school would be built and how they do not have landslide insurance.

“Even if that hillside wiggles, it affects our real estate values,” Jasper said. “How are we going to sell a property that’s down below a site that is subject to landslides?”

Technical operations manager Burton Holt of Ackenheil Engineers did a geotechnical review of slopes and other issues in the site plan on behalf of the township.

“The engineering I’ve reviewed by Garvin Boward (Beitko) is sound,” Holt said. “The analysis indicates they are meeting the standard of care as far as how they are designed.”

Holt further confirmed the district’s submission met SALDO requirements, but could not speculate on its actual development.

“I’ve always said about this project, ‘The devil’s going to be in how it’s built,’” Holt said. “It’s not going to be easily built, but if it’s built according to the analysis there is no reason to believe that it wouldn’t be safe.”

Ellen Stevenson, Leet resident and mother of two Quaker Valley students, implored the planning commission to vote this month and not delay action further.

“The facts are clear,” Stevenson said. “Our district and Leet Township have employed highly qualified professionals, architects, engineers and planners who have addressed every concern with precision and expertise. Dismissing their findings and delaying this project further is not only disrespectful to the professionals but to the well-being of children and future of our community.”

The planning commission’s recommendation came with 15 conditions.

Among those were a highway occupancy permit and other approvals from Allegheny County, a developers agreement and storm water agreements with the township, various state approvals, including those from the Department of Environmental Protection, an agreement with the Leet Township Municipal Authority regarding a sewer system and ensuring a design engineer would oversee construction efforts.

“The engineers and our special counsels tell us they are meeting SALDO,” planning commission chairman Joe Ferrang said. “What made me feel comfortable with it is the county and the state and the third parties have to review a lot of this information to move forward.”

Charlie Gauthier, district director of facilities and administrative services, called the conditions reasonable.

He noted the district is in the process of getting many of the permits mentioned at the meeting.

Garvin Boward Beitko principal engineer Joseph Boward said construction plans include removing landslide-prone soils and starting from a bedrock foundation.

“According to our analysis, the whole site will be more stable than it is now in its existing condition after they’re done with the work,” Boward said.

Another problem solved

One point of contention at previous township meetings, namely the zoning hearing board last year that ended up in court, was the lack of an emergency access road for first responders.

Gauthier said revised plans include a wide sidewalk with safety bollards off Beaver Street to the lower entrance of the school.

“It will act as a sidewalk, but in the case of an emergency a vehicle will be able to drive up,” he said. There are two proposed entrances and exits to the property.

School district officials in September 2023 set the maximum building construction costs for the proposed high school at about $72.1 million and the maximum project cost at $105 million.

More information about the project is available on the district’s website under the Blueprint QV section of the “District” tab.

The current high school was built in 1926 and has undergone several renovations through the years.