Charter school expanding

Wildflower Open Classroom, a K-8 public charter school located in a strip mall off of Cohasset Road next to Spiteri’s Delicatessen, will be adding students and a second location for its middle-schoolers next year. On Tuesday (Dec. 17), the Chico City Council denied an appeal of a use permit allowing the school’s growth from 180 to 260 students, but added a caveat that roadways be improved. Councilman Sean Morgan was the lone dissenter.

Neighbor Dan Jenks, owner of Cathy’s Sew & Vac, filed the appeal, arguing that traffic congestion already is causing problems with safety and road degradation and is harming his business, and an expansion will make those problems worse. The school proposed a new traffic circulation pattern designed to address this issue by creating two new exit paths for cars separate from the entry point for drop-offs.