Scottsdale Planning Commission approves 18,900-square-foot Montessori preschool, votes 5-1 despite traffic concerns

Planning Commission OKs Rose Lane Montessori School Over Strong Traffic Concerns; 5–1 Vote Masks Deep Divide on Residential Impact

The Scottsdale Planning Commission voted 5–1 on June 12, 2025, to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for Rose Lane Education Service, an 18,900-square-foot Montessori preschool facility targeting children ages 2.5 to 6 years. The decision clears the way for final city council action, but not before an unusually contentious exchange between Commissioner Gonzalez and applicant Tom Frankle revealed a fundamental disagreement about whether ample parking and staggered school operations can truly mitigate traffic impacts in a mature residential neighborhood.

The project sits on 2.2 acres at the northeast corner of McDonald Drive and Hayden Road, directly east of Sororro High School, on property zoned R17 (residential). Because an educational service requires a conditional use permit in that zone, the applicant sought the planning commission's recommendation. Staff, represented by Senior Planner Chris Zimmer, recommended approval, finding the conditional use permit criteria met and the project consistent with the general plan. The commission's majority agreed—but Commissioner Gonzalez did not, and his dissent speaks to ongoing community unease about the site's history.

Key Speeches

"I was on that property today and yesterday and I've been on that property for the last 35 years. So I've famili I'm familiar with this property here even when it was a Boys and Girls Club and the reason why the Boys and Girls Club even moved and sold there is because the neighborhood in that general area didn't like the circulation that was happening at that time period." — Commissioner Gonzalez

"I have 121 parking spaces for a preschool. I would challenge you to find any preschool in Scottsdale that has more than 40. So, as far as where they're going to park, that's not an issue. As far as are they going to go on to Rose Lane? How if you stacked—the staff did ask for me to load from the west versus the east, which we probably would have preferred the east, so that there would be if there ever was a situation where parents were waiting, they wouldn't go into Rose Lane." — Tom Frankle, applicant

"I had two granddaughters that went to Monasuri School on Cactus Boulevard from the time they were two to five. I often dropped them off at school or picked them up when my daughter was not available to do it. I can tell you that if they had 30 parking spaces, I would be surprised. I never had to wait to get in and get out." — Commissioner Joiner

"I too also had kiddos that went through monissary schools in a different state. But if I was I remember days there's probably eight or 10 parking spots and somehow we made it work. The thing is with those schools in the younger age groups, the school isn't starting all at the same time and people aren't all leaving all at the same time. they're coming and going at different times unless I'm misunderstanding the nature of this monastery school. But I think that also helps with the flow is that they're coming and going at different times." — Commissioner Higgs

"There is so much parking on this property and I mean the concerns about circulation staff has stipulated ingress points, egress points, circulation paths. I this is probably the most innocuous use for this site and I'm I guess I'll just say I support this project." — Vice Chair Young

Timeline

• Staff presentation: Chris Zimmer outlined the site plan: 2.2 acres, 18,900 sq ft building, 124 parking spaces (94 required), ages 2.5–6 served, R17 zoning requiring conditional use permit. Staff recommended approval per stipulations, including modified circulation (counterclockwise flow removing 6–7 spaces and tree buffer from the eastern side to create 30-car staging capacity queued on-site rather than onto Rose Lane).

• Applicant presentation: Tom Frankle, 6716 Monaceto, acknowledged the property's history as Boys and Girls Club, explained the $650,000 parking-lot investment to ensure off-street parking, characterized the Montessori model as "low impact" with staggered drop-off/pick-up times, and challenged Commissioner Gonzalez's concerns by noting that 124 spaces far exceed any comparable preschool.

• Public comment: Two members of the public spoke; detailed comments not recorded in transcript.

• Council discussion: Commissioner Gonzalez led extended questioning of Zimmer and Frankle, expressing concern that circulation modifications (removal of parking spaces and trees) would create bottlenecks, that the property's residential context left no buffer for traffic spill, and that the Montessori operator's claims lacked detailed transportation documentation. Other commissioners—Joiner, Higgs, Young, and Hartell—drew on personal experience with Montessori schools, noting staggered arrival/departure times, teacher-led drop-off protocols, and the absence of simultaneous bell dismissals that generate peak traffic. Frankle grew visibly frustrated, characterizing Gonzalez's stance as unreasonable and expressing concern that volunteer service on the board should not entail subjecting a property owner to unending skepticism about a use that generated unanimous neighbor support for earlier (non-school) uses.

• Vote: Motion by Vice Chair Young for recommendation of approval per staff stipulations. Second by Commissioner Hartell. Roll call: Chair Scarboro (yes), Vice Chair Young (yes), Commissioner Gonzalez (no), Commissioner Hartell (yes), Commissioner Joiner (yes), Commissioner Higgs (yes). Result: 5–1, passed.

Opposition

• Number of speakers against: Commissioner Gonzalez (one commissioner dissent); public comment speakers not identified in transcript.

• Main concerns:

  1. Thirty-five-year familiarity with the property; Boys and Girls Club closed due to traffic issues.
  2. Lack of detailed transportation diagrams and circulation flow analysis in the staff packet; concern that transportation department approval lacked specificity.
  3. Circulation modification (removal of trees and parking spaces) eliminates the property's natural buffer and creates a closed-loop that forces egress/ingress onto a single point, risking backup onto Rose Lane.
  4. Assumption that all parents will drop off young children and not linger; skepticism that 30-car staging capacity is adequate if parents choose to park and walk children to entrance, particularly if they use rear or side entrances rather than the modest five-space front drop-off zone.
  5. Concern that the residential area, now aging and expensive, attracts fewer young families and has limited pedestrian infrastructure; any increase in traffic would be more noticeable than in established school-adjacent neighborhoods.
  6. Historical pattern: elementary school (PBLO) and high school (Sororro) already create traffic pressure on adjacent streets; adding a preschool invites compounded use.
  7. Neighbors informally reported concern; while formal outreach saw no objections, Commissioner Gonzalez indicated uneasiness about whether community anxiety was fully represented.

• Most compelling arguments:

  • Commissioner Gonzalez's repeated emphasis on lack of transportation detail and his request for a continuance to study flow diagrams before voting resonated as a procedural—not merely aesthetic—objection.
  • The assumption that Montessori protocols ensure parents follow prescribed circulation differs from lived reality; parents may seek alternative routes or park and walk, negating the staged-drop-off model.

• Organized groups: None identified in transcript.

Support

• Number of speakers for: Four commissioners (Joiner, Higgs, Young, Hartell) plus Chair Scarboro.

• Main arguments:

  1. Personal experience: multiple commissioners had children or grandchildren in Montessori schools with far fewer parking spaces (7–10, sometimes 8–10 stalls) that operated smoothly with no backup.
  2. Staggered model: Montessori schools do not operate on a single bell schedule; arrival and departure are spread across morning and afternoon windows, eliminating peak-traffic congestion.
  3. Teacher-led protocols: school staff manage drop-off and pick-up; parents do not exit vehicles or linger in parking lots at Montessori facilities.
  4. Excessive parking: 124 spaces for a preschool is unprecedented; even if some were used, the surplus ensures no overflow onto adjacent streets.
  5. Circulation stipulations: staff and traffic department designed the counterclockwise flow (later clarified as clockwise by one commissioner) and 30-car staging to keep queuing on-site; this is a measurable safeguard.
  6. Site history: the property was approved for uses (bridge club, church, temple functions) with universal neighbor support; a preschool is arguably lower-impact than prior conditional uses.
  7. Applicant credibility: Frankle has 40 years in the community, a track record of sound property management, and personal liability (his children will inherit the property), so he has no incentive to create neighborhood problems.
  8. Architectural/operational detail: the school's national brand (first school outside East Coast/West Coast presence), the long-term lease (10 years), and the fact that the operators live in Scottsdale all suggest stability and responsible management.

• Organized groups: None identified.

Project Details

• Case number: 1 UP 2025 (Conditional Use Permit)

• Applicant / developer: Tom Frankle (owner), Rose Lane Education Service (operator—Montessori school)

• Attorney: Not stated in transcript.

• Location / address: Northeast corner of McDonald Drive and Hayden Road, Rose Lane; directly east of Sororro High School; 6716 Monaceto (applicant address given as reference).

• APN (if stated): Not stated in transcript.

• Current zoning → Proposed zoning: R17 (residential) → remains R17; conditional use permit allows educational service in residential zone.

• Density / units / square footage: 18,900 sq ft building on 2.2 acres; 124 parking spaces (94 required per code); ages 2.5–6 served (preschool through kindergarten entry, maximum age 6).

• Changes from previous version (if reconsideration): Not a reconsideration; circulation modified from original (eastern entrance/exit) to western ingress and eastern queuing/drop-off per staff and traffic department request. Six to seven parking spaces and tree buffer removed to establish 30-car staging zone on eastern side; net parking loss negligible (131 spaces prior to modification down to 124).

Vote Breakdown

• Final: 5–1 (recommendation for approval to city council)

• Yes: Chair Scarboro, Vice Chair Young, Commissioner Hartell, Commissioner Joiner, Commissioner Higgs

• No: Commissioner Gonzalez

• Abstentions / absences: Commissioner Ertel participated in minutes approval; called in telephonically per transcript note ("for the record, Commissioner Ertel is on tonight telephonically"), but his vote on the main item was not explicitly stated. Roll call recorded only six commissioners voting on Case 1 UP 2025 (Scarboro, Young, Gonzalez, Hartell, Joiner, Higgs), suggesting Ertel did not vote or was not counted; likely telephonic participation without formal vote.

Outcome & Next Steps

The planning commission voted 5–1 to recommend approval of the conditional use permit to city council. The recommendation is not final; city council will make the ultimate decision. No continuance was granted despite Commissioner Gonzalez's request. The applicant and staff will present the recommendation to city council; the council meeting date was not specified in the transcript. Conditions attached to the recommendation include the stipulated circulation modifications (counterclockwise/western ingress, removal of trees and parking spaces from eastern side, 30-car staging zone, modified drop-off/loading sequence on the eastern side). The applicant will be responsible for implementing these circulation changes prior to occupancy or opening.

Controversies & Context

The Boys and Girls Club history looms large. The property was used by the Boys and Girls Club, which eventually closed and sold the property, purportedly because of traffic circulation problems that frustrated the neighborhood. Commissioner Gonzalez's repeated invocation of this 35-year history suggests that community anxiety about the site's traffic dynamics predates the current application and has not been fully allayed by the applicant's $650,000 parking-lot investment or Montessori operational claims.

Lack of transportation detail. Commissioner Gonzalez explicitly noted that the staff packet contained only a "word description" of circulation, not detailed transportation diagrams. While he acknowledged that the transportation department had signed off on the design, he expressed frustration that the commission was being asked to vote without seeing granular flow analysis. His request for a continuance to review diagrams before voting was overruled by the majority, who relied on their personal experience with Montessori schools rather than documentary evidence.

Applicant frustration. Frankle's response—characterizing Gonzalez's stance as "extremely disappointing" and expressing disbelief that a volunteer commissioner would hold a property owner to such scrutiny—suggests tension between developer expectations (that ample parking and staff approval should suffice) and commissioner skepticism (that lived experience in a changing neighborhood justifies demanding proof). Frankle also bristled at what he perceived as a double standard: the property had generated "unanimous" neighbor support for earlier uses (bridge club, church), yet a preschool triggered concerns about traffic impact.

School-adjacent context. Sororro High School and PBLO Elementary School are proximate to the site. Commissioner Gonzalez noted that Sororro students spill onto nearby streets, whereas PBLO does not; he implied that adding a preschool to an already school-heavy corridor compounds cumulative traffic risk. However, Vice Chair Young and Commissioner Hartell both referenced recent traffic-flow improvements at PBLO, suggesting that circulation management has improved at existing schools.

Residential buffer loss. The removal of trees and parking spaces to create the circulation zone concretely eliminates the property's natural noise and sight buffer from adjoining residences. While this modification was stipulated by staff and traffic, it represents a tangible change that some neighbors may perceive as intrusive, even if traffic volume does not materially increase.

Demographic shift. Commissioner Gonzalez observed that the neighborhood has become more expensive and less family-oriented; fewer young families with preschool-age children live nearby, which he suggested means the school will draw from a wider area and increase commute-based traffic. Frankle countered that as a "national school" (first location outside East Coast/West Coast operations), the operator has a proven model and likely sufficient local demand to fill capacity without aggressive regional marketing.

Duration

• This item: approximately 45–50 minutes (extended Q&A, applicant response, multiple commissioner statements, and deliberation)

• Total meeting: approximately 60–90 minutes (including roll call, administrative matters, recognition of Commissioner Higgs, approval of minutes, and the single substantive agenda item)

Other Notable Items

Commissioner Higgs farewell: Mr. Curtis acknowledged Commissioner Higgs' six years of service, including tenure as chairperson, and thanked her for extensive volunteer contributions. Chair Scarboro also expressed appreciation. City council will appoint two new commissioners on June 24, 2025. The next regular planning commission meeting is scheduled for July 9, 2025 (the June 25 meeting may be cancelled due to lack of agenda items). The planning commission will present its annual report to city council on July 2, 2025.