MORGANTOWN — It took nearly 13 months, but the Wisdom Academy charter school planned for 13 South High St. authorized the Morgantown Planning Commission.

The body voted 6-1 Thursday to grant significant impact site plan approval development for the school, which plans to open for up to 100 students — kindergarten through sixth grade — in August 2025.

Commissioner Darren Taylor, representing the city’s 1st District, was the lone dissenting vote, citing lingering concerns about traffic in the restricted area near Morgantown High School. While not under the purview of the planning commission, Taylor also noted that the property has no green space or recreation area for young students.

Thursday’s long-awaited approval came about two weeks after the school received the green light from the West Virginia Vocational School Board.

“We certainly think what we’re doing is adding value to Morgantown. It provides educational options,” said Academy of Wisdom President Javaid Syed. “We want to be the model school in the state of West Virginia. We want to show people what education should be like… We are committed to it. The commitment we are making is a very serious commitment. I don’t want to play with a child’s education.”

The building in question is the former headquarters of Monongalia County Schools. It was purchased by three people under the name AST Properties.

One of these individuals, Abdul Tarabishi, first submitted the city site plan application in October 2023.

And there it remained, as Tarabishy and his partners went back to the drawing board and again to allay the commission’s concerns centered around pedestrian safety and pick-up/pick-up procedures in an already congested and chaotic area in those specific moments due to MHS.

Those concerns were echoed by a trio of Wagner Road residents, including Nancy Lynch, who said living conditions in the area are already significantly affected by existing traffic.

“I feel like this is asking for even more trouble than there already is,” she said. “We’re at the point where we want to move because of the crowding and the noise and the inconvenience. … I have to be careful when I come home or I can’t get into the driveway or park where they’re allowed.”

The plan ultimately approved by the commission includes a number of commitments, including: No parents queuing on the High Street and restricted access from the High Street to the school car park; school cannot start before 9am and end before 2:55pm to avoid the height of MHS traffic; the school has purchased a bus and will encourage families to use this service; parents will line up for pick-up/drop-off areas along Prairie Avenue; Trained crossing guards and potentially Morgantown Police Department personnel and/or off-duty police officers will be on site to direct students and control traffic.

He also brought a powerful advocate in Dirar Ahmad, the West Virginia Division of Highways’ assistant director for quality assurance and project management, who drove from Charleston to provide comments, not as a representative of the DOH, but as a school effort advisor.

Ahmad confirmed that the traffic study by engineering firm HRG indicated the school would not have any “severe or adverse” impact on traffic. Additionally, he indicated that WVDOH District 4 has committed to looking at what pedestrian safety improvements and traffic control devices would be appropriate at the location.

“I assure you that I would not be associated or credentialed as a professional engineer if I did not believe that this project is noble,” he said. “This project will help the community and this project will not have any serious impacts.”

As he has since the issue first came before the body, Commissioner Tim Stranko said the debate over school choice or applicant sincerity is not the issue before the body.

“The question before us is the impact of this proposed use on this neighborhood. Is this the right place?” he asked. “They came up with a wonderful plan on how to minimize the impact, which suggests there is a potential impact. We all see that… It’s a great plan, but once we get past that and say this development is right for this location, we’re done. We don’t have police powers to come back and say, “Well, you made these five commitments.”

To that end, Development Services Director Rickie Yeager said he will work with the city’s legal counsel to put in place some review and accountability as a condition of the commission’s approval.

Yeager said the city could apply for an annual access agreement to allow queuing of vehicles on Prairie Avenue. If the school doesn’t follow through on its promises, Yeager said revocation of the building’s occupancy permit could be among the possible sanctions.

Commission Chairman Peter DeMasters said he believes the applicants have made every effort to minimize traffic and neighborhood impacts and are focused on student safety. He equated the current MHS traffic situation to a failed intersection, noting, “It’s already an F. It can’t be a minus F.”

“I’ve been on this planning commission for probably 18 years or something. We see a lot of things coming before us, and a lot of what I’m hearing is, ‘Gosh, this is a great project, but not in my neighborhood,’” DeMasters said. “Well, it’s got to be somewhere, or we’re not doing anything.”