Montessori High School Moves Closer to Opening in Downtown Evanston

A group of people who want to start a Montessori high school in Evanston are moving closer to opening in a four-story building downtown, at 622 Davis St.

Beacon Academy, as the high school will be called, has applied for a special use permit to operate a high school in the top floors of the building, above Cheesie’s Pub  & Grub. Members of the city council are expected to introduce the permit for discussion Monday, with a vote to come at a later date. The city’s zoning board has already unanimously recommended that the council should approve the permit. 

Beacon Academy hopes to open in fall 2014 with a class of 30 to 40 students, consisting of mostly ninth-graders and some tenth-graders, according to city documents. Most of school’s operations will take place at 622 Davis St., during school hours of 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to city documents. The school is expected to hire 6 to 7 faculty and staff members the first year, with a total staff of 15 when fully enrolled. 

During school days, Beacon Academy hopes to turn one metered parking space in front of the building into a drop-off zone for students, while the school will bring buses and deliveries to an alley in the back, according to city documents. 

Also on Monday’s city council agenda:

1. A new business called In Grape Company is seeking a new liquor license classification that would allow it to deliver wine sold to retail customers.

2. The city council will consider modifying the lakefront use policy to allow more special events as a three-year pilot.

3. Council members are also expected to take up on an ordinance that would create a binding referendum question asking Evanston voters whether or not they wanted to dissolve Evanston Township.