CHUBBUCK — A local charter school, Connor Academy, is seeking approval from the city’s Land Use and Development Commission to accommodate construction of a planned middle school building.

The commission’s meeting agenda also includes a proposal to build apartment buildings on 10 acres at the southeast corner of Knudsen Boulevard and Hawthorne Road and zoning changes to accommodate the city’s future downtown area.

Connor Academy, 1295 Alpine Ave., serves more than 500 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It specializes in the Harbor Method, with a focus on kindness and creating a positive and safe learning environment.

The middle school building would be built adjacent to the current school location, said Joel Lovstedt, principal and superintendent. Lovstedt explained the school has reached its capacity and uses a lottery system to determine which new students to admit.

Lovstedt said the middle school is still in the design phase. The ground Connor Academy purchased for the project was agricultural land that had been planted in grain, Lovstedt said.

The commission will consider Connor Academy’s request for a conditional-use permit for the project during a public hearing at 6 p.m. April 12 at City Hall, 290 E. Linden Ave.

Mayor Kevin England said the city is tickled by the school’s plans but traffic challenges must be addressed. England emphasized that discussions are underway with the school regarding traffic flow. The city plans to build a roundabout this summer at the intersection of Chubbuck and Philbin roads, England said. England said there are also plans to extend Alpine across the private land to connect with Chubbuck Road.

England said the city will eventually require a traffic study to be completed for the building permit.

Lovstedt emphasized that the traffic congestion lasts no more than 15 minutes before and after school.

“There’s not a school in Idaho that doesn’t cause traffic at the beginning and ending of the school day,” Lovstedt said.

Lovstedt added that the school makes it a priority to be a good neighbor.

“We’ve looked at a lot of things because we don’t want to cause a burden. ... I’m hopeful the plan we’ve put together is going to actually make things better for all of the traffic congestion,” Lovstedt said.

Dave Matson, Chubbuck’s planning manager said the application for the apartment project was submitted by Wright Development in northern Utah and calls for 200 apartment units with four, three-story apartment buildings and a shared clubhouse. The commission will be voting on a conditional-use permit for the project during the meeting.

“They’re a pretty well-known developer down there. They specialize in multifamily and they do market-rate housing,” Matson said.

Matson said the site already has utilities running up to the property line.

To pave the way for the downtown project, a few homes on the site owned by Chubbuck Development Authority were demolished on Thursday. CDA will accept proposals from businesses interested in developing on those sites, Matson said.

Also to accommodate the downtown project, the commission will be considering a petition by the city to create a new Chubbuck Village and two new land-use districts — highway corridor and village — and to consider changing property within the project area to those new designations.