A new Khalsa elementary school, post-secondary institution and daycare is one step closer to final approval in Abbotsford.
Council on Tuesday (May 28) gave initial approval to an amendment to the Official Community Plan and to a rezoning and development variance permit for the project at Downes and Gladwin roads.
The matter now proceeds to a public hearing at a later date before coming back to council for final approval.
A staff report to council indicates that the privately run Sikh-based elementary school will have a capacity of 500 students. The proposal also calls for a childcare centre for 94 kids and a post-secondary facility that is 1,253 square metres (13,494 square feet).
The owners, the Satnam Education Society of B.C., are proposing to close down the current – and smaller – Khalsa School of the Fraser Valley on 62nd Avenue near Aldergrove.
“The owners have chosen to relocate to Abbotsford as the majority of the students who currently attend the Aldergrove Khalsa School live n Abbotsford,” the staff report says.
“The school would be considered a regional school as the students attending the school would be from all over Abbotsford as well as from neighbouring municipalities such as Mission, Chilliwack and Township of Langley.”
The proposed development is located on the northwest corner of Downes and Gladwin roads near Cornerstone Christian School and Dr. Roberta Bondar elementary and east of Mennonite Educational Institute.
Mixed feedback on the proposal was obtained at a public information meeting on Nov. 1, 2023 and from an online survey that ran Oct. 25 to Nov. 15.
The staff report states that 129 comments sheets were submitted at the meeting, and 75 of those expressed objections to the development.
Of the 323 online surveys that were submitted, 234 (72.4 per cent) were in favour of the project.
Those responses were included in the staff report to council at its May 28 meeting.
Those in favour said they are looking forward to having the campus in Abbotsford.
“Khalsa Schools is one of a kind, where my kids not only learn cultural activities but also so many different ways of learning something new every day. I love the entire staff at this school and can‘t wait for the new school to open in Abbotsford,” one respondent wrote.
Another said their child “is getting good quality education and Sikh religious values” at the school.
The predominant concern among those opposed to the project is an increase in traffic congestion in the area of Downes and Gladwin roads.
“This intersection is already dangerous, prone to accidents and major congestion. There are already four perfectly good schools within a two-kilometre distance in any direction,” one person said.
Another wrote: “Traffic on Downes is already overflowing during heavy mornings and afternoons, plus the backups on (the) Downes/Gladwin light can take multi light changes to get through. Now an increase of one can only assume (is) 50+ cars. I just think there has to be a better spot within Abbotsford for a proposed build site like this.”
Speaking at the council meeting, Blake Collins, director of development planning, said 70 per cent of the students are expected to be bused to the school, which should alleviate traffic congestion.
As well, he said traffic improvements are planned, including new left-hand turn lanes on Downes Road in both directions.
A date for the public hearing has not yet been set.
ALSO SEE: B.C. historian explores South Asian-Indigenous relations
