As a late addition to the El Paso County Planning Commission’s agenda for Nov. 15, Falcon School District 49 submitted a letter of intent for a ìSite Specific Development Plan/Occupancy Change Approvalî to open the Virtual Academy.Tasha Brackin of the El Paso County Development Services said state regulations require that school districts coordinate with the county where the potential school site is located. At minimum, the process takes three weeks, which includes a hearing before the county planning commission, she said. If the commission decides the district needs approval through the countyís process, it could take up to eight weeks, Brackin said.In this case, the planning commission waived the countyís approval process, cutting down the time frame, ìwhich enabled the school district to move forward more quickly in their time line,î Brackin said.A 20,000-square-foot building at 6113 Constitution Ave. ñ previously a manufacturing plant ñ will house the academy.The district still needs to have the building inspected by the Regional Building Department or an independent state inspector, she said.As stated in the letter of intent, once the transition is completed, 75 percent of the building will be dedicated to work stations, offices and a science lab. When the funds become available, the other 25 percent will house art and computer labs.The Virtual Academy building will be open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday for students K-12.
