Closing arguments set for proposed Quaker Valley High School special exception request

Testimony has concluded and closing arguments have been scheduled before the Leet Township Zoning Hearing Board for a special exception request for a new Quaker Valley High School.

The board on Nov. 16 heard from the last round of school district residents to testify both for and against the project.

The proposed school is on 150 acres of land off Camp Meeting Road. It straddles Leet, Edgeworth and Leetsdale.

Zoning hearing board solicitor Vince Restauri scheduled closing arguments for 7 p.m. Nov. 30.

Time will be limited to two hours with attorneys representing those for and against the project granted a half-hour each. Those who testified and are not represented by legal counsel will also have a half hour for each side to plead their case.

Restauri said people could file briefs within 30 days after closing arguments for the board to consider.

The goal is to have public deliberation and vote either in late January or mid-February.

There were multiple hearings in the evenings and about two all-day events, resulting in around 40 hours of public discussion.

“It’s not a trivial matter,” Restauri said. “None of these are trivial matters. It’s going according to schedule as much as it can be.”

The preliminary plan for the school would use about 48 acres for the building and grounds. The site already has 10 acres cleared out, but the district wants to leave a lot of landscape as a buffer.

No further construction can take place without first obtaining approval from Leet’s zoning hearing board.

Several residents who testified throughout the course of the hearings focused on the 27-acre plans that include the school, ball field and facilities.

However, district director of facilities and administrative services Charlie Gauthier said the actual application before the zoning hearing board is the entire aforementioned building and grounds lot.

Kim Gatesman, a parent of a Quaker Valley student, testified on Nov. 16 that the board should hear from police, fire and EMS about possible response times to the proposed school before making a decision.

She also raised concerns about slope stabilization and issues with developing property on a hill and suggested properties outside of the township would be a better location for a school.

Gatesman was not the only person to testify about slope stability and possible landslides, prompting zoning board member Chuck Soman to comment.

“Some of the naysayers are saying the school board is being reckless like wild boys out on their own and I just don’t see that,” he said. Soman said he does not believe the district would have engineers and architects develop a property that would drop off a hillside.

Dave Parker of Sewickley said the project has lacked transparency and community engagement.

This is despite a section of the district’s website called “Blueprint QV” being devoted to the development. There are other tabs, such as “questions and answers” and “research and studies” about the project on the Blueprint page as well as videos from the architects.

Parker also testified that the district has not proven the proposed site is more suitable for development compared to the current high school location and other areas.

QV Strong is a group of about 1,000 district families in support of the new high school.

Kirk Fordham, one of its steering committee members, testified building on a hillside is nothing new in Western Pennsylvania.

“The entire metropolitan area is built on hilltops,” he said. “It’s been done before in this community and it can be done again.”

Multiple residents over the course of the hearings testified about Camp Meeting Road being dangerous.

Gauthier said traffic concerns, as well as other issues such as hillside stability, stormwater management and submission of more detailed plans would be addressed with the township’s planning commission after the district clears the zoning hearing board hurdle.

“We’re ready for the process to end,” Gauthier said. “We’re hopeful the zoning turns out in our favor. We look forward to continuing with the project and getting community input.”