Primrose Schools has announced plans to open at least 10 schools in the Greater Boston area in five years as the preschool company continues to seek approval from Natick’s Zoning Board of Appeals to open a location on Rte. 27.
Construction has begun on a school in Burlington and franchise agreements have been awarded for Arlington and Bedford, N.H. The schools will offer a program designed for children 6 weeks to 5 years old, according to a press release from the Georgia-based company, whose schools are operated through a franchise system.
Bill Pierquet, senior vice president of school development, said Primrose is also looking at other locations in MetroWest, including the Framingham and Marlborough areas.
“Massachusetts is an area that has people and parents that desire high-quality education,” Pierquet said. “It’s a very educated area of the country and there’s a desire in the preschool area to have schools available for the children that are of high quality.”
In Natick, the zoning board is slated to discuss the plan for the school, which could serve up to 189 children, again at 7 p.m. Monday at Town Hall. Many residents have worried about traffic generated by the project.
The ZBA denied the proposal in 2011, ruling the 12,000-square-foot project at 296 North Main St. would be “substantially detrimental” to the neighborhood. Proponents appealed. A land court judge sent the case back to the board, ruling the board can impose reasonable conditions on the project, but cannot override protections from zoning rules afforded under the Dover Amendment.
According to project documents, the company has looked at widening its proposed driveway to have two lanes exiting the school, installing a turn lane for cars traveling on Rte. 27 and turning left into the property and contributing funding toward future improvements to the Rte. 27 corridor.
“We’ve agreed to do minor modifications to alleviate some of the perceived issues,” Pierquet said.
Community Development Director Patrick Reffett said the company, though, has been unwilling to reduce the school’s size.
Pierquet said Primrose has found that enrollment level works well with offering a viable program that fully serves the intended age group.
“We’ve made good progress,” he said. “We’ve worked very hard with (Natick) to come up with an amicable project everyone agrees with.”
Brian Benson can be reached at 508-626-3964 or bbenson@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @bbensonmwdn.
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