Residents hope Goddard School will help revitalize Sandy Spring

The school, a child care franchise established in 1998 that serves children from 6 weeks to 6 years old, will be located on the first floor of a 36,000-square-foot building. It will hold nearly 200 children. There will be leased office space on the second and third floors.

The project will include additional parking spaces and bring more traffic to the small businesses in downtown Sandy Spring, residents said.

‘‘We are thrilled,” said Joy Turner, community outreach director and former president of the Sandy Spring Civic Association. ‘‘It’ll certainly spur the economic viability of the businesses.”

The plan brings the number of parking spaces to almost 300, up from the 153 currently at the site on a surface lot and an underground parking deck.

While parking is intended for occupants of the office buildings, developer Fred Nichols said the spaces are available to those frequenting the nearby businesses and residents of the surrounding townhouses.

‘‘The big thing about this is that this is going to be a very good stimulus and catalyst for revitalization,” Nichols said.

Nichols said State Highway Administration officials accounted for the new school and offices in their timing count for the long-awaited traffic light being installed at the intersection of Route 108 and Brooke and Meetinghouse roads.

The traffic light is expected to be fully functional by October. It was integral to the choice for the new location of the school, said Goddard School owner Bob Mumper, whose partner, Alec Yeo, owns a Goddard School in Eldersburg.

Goddard School officials initially proposed building a school of the same size last year on nearby Bentley Road, which residents opposed because of the anticipated traffic problems. Bentley Road intersects with Route 108 east of the Montgomery Mutual site.

Residents were concerned that school traffic would worsen existing congestion on the two-lane Route 108 during the morning and evening rush hours. The Goddard School would operate year-round from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays.

The new design allows parents to enter and exit the school from Meetinghouse Road, utilizing the traffic light to control traffic.

Nichols and Mumper met with community groups last week to get initial suggestions on the plans.

Some residents’ initial concerns are with the size and architecture of the building and whether or not it fits in with the rest of the rural community.

Project architect Phil Perrine said the owners and developer are willing to work with the community on the architecture of the school. He said residents of the nearby townhouses expressed interest in keeping the design similar to the other two office buildings on the property.

So far, reactions are mostly positive.

‘‘We like the idea of the school and having it in the community,” said Michelle Layton, co-chairwoman of the Sandy Spring Ashton Rural Preservation Consortium. ‘‘It’s a great addition to Sandy Spring.”

Plans for the school still need to be approved by the county Planning Board.

There are currently two Goddard Schools in Montgomery County: in Rockville and Gaithersburg.