A Leet Zoning Hearing Board meeting to discuss changes to a proposed Quaker Valley High School was canceled after the district failed to provide an amended plan.

The zoning board had scheduled a hearing for March 9 following its denial of the district’s special exception application for the school last month.

Board members said they would be willing to approve the district’s application provided it was amended to include an emergency access road to the property.

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

Zoning board solicitor Vince Restauri said there were several correspondences between attorneys since the February session, and the district had decided against amending its plans.

District officials emphasized their commitment to the project.

“(We) continue to design a new high school that meets the needs of all students and staff,” Superintendent Tammy Andreyko said. “Our team is working with architects and engineers to craft a building that can serve this community for the next 100 years. We remain enthusiastic about this project. We are steadfast in the goal to provide a future-ready high school for the students and staff of Quaker Valley.”

In a letter dated March 10 from district attorney Daniel F. Gramc to Restauri, Gramc wrote that the school district does still intend to work with the township and its emergency responders on an emergency access plan.

“Notwithstanding the foregoing, for procedural reasons, the School District declines to amend its Application at this time. Any such Application is likely to result in a lengthy extension of the hearing before the Zoning Hearing Board and further delay this application process. In addition, this topic is more appropriately addressed as part of the land development process,” the letter said.

The meeting cancellation was posted on the main page of the township’s website, leettownship.org.

Part of the zoning hearing board process is to have its decision put in writing, which is expected to be done by March 28.

“Ultimately, the votes were the votes. But the writing that they will be asked to review and approve goes beyond just the ultimate decision,” Restauri said. “It has to explain why.

“The school district’s lawyers will get a copy. All of the other lawyers will get a copy. Anyone we can determine from the transcripts that asked a question or testified will get a copy.”

The decision also will be posted on the township’s website.

Board members have been advised not to comment on the matter until after the written decision has been sent out.

District officials, and those who oppose the project, can file an appeal of the board’s decision to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas.

That court’s decision could be appealed to a state appellate court.

It is unclear whether the district would appeal the decision.

“We will wait to see what the final (written) decision is and discuss with our attorneys how to proceed,” said Charlie Gauthier, district director of facilities.

Public hearings began in late June. There were several hearings in the evenings and at least two all-day events, resulting in about 40 hours of public discussion.

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 existing growth as a buffer.

Attorneys and residents, both in favor and against the project, also had a chance to file briefs and other written comments after closing arguments were taken on Nov. 30.

The board’s vote to deny the application was unanimous following about an hour and a half of public deliberation Feb. 9.

District officials have given project updates at school board meetings as well through the Blueprint QV section of the district’s website, qvsd.org.

There are other tabs, such as “questions and answers” and “research and studies” about the project on the Blueprint page.

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