ISSUE

The parents of children attending the Bluebonnet School of Canyon Creek received an email that it will be shutting its doors in 30 days by the end of November. The landlord and the school could not negotiate an appropriate rent increase. The landlord is asking for approximately $15,000 more per month, which is significant. The parents are concerned that the landowner, with a history of building strip malls, is trying to rezone the Bluebonnet property out of its designation as a nursery school.

BACKGROUND

The Bluebonnet School of Canyon Creek, as the name suggests, is located within the neighborhood of Canyon Creek, a large community off of FM620 in North West Austin. It has been a cherished childcare facility for 12 years. It provides daycare, preschool, after school programs, and summer camp. The hours are extensive; 645am-630pm. The Canyon Creek Elementary School is just down the street and children are quickly shuttled to Bluebonnet for after school care. Notably, it is accredited by NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children). NAEYC has been termed the “gold standard of early childhood program accreditation” by the Wall Street Journal and is the only daycare in the area with this accreditation. It is also one of the few childcare facilities that provide cameras so that parents and family can watch their children from afar. 

ASK

The parents in and around the Canyon Creek community rely on Bluebonnet for quality childcare and it would be detrimental to this community not only for Bluebonnet to close, but for it to be rezoned out of its nursery school designation. Please sign this petition, so the parents can present it to their local representatives to make sure that the property where Bluebonnet occupies stays a nursery school. 

NOTE

There is a shortage of childcare options across the country and also in Austin. There was just an amendment proposed to the Texas Constitution in the November 2023 election to promote more home daycares, by providing property tax breaks. While the amendment is a commendable tactic to help provide daycare, it is equal and perhaps more important to keep quality childcare facilities open especially with minimal, if any, impact to tax payers. This petition merely seeks to keep the Bluebonnet property designated for a nursery school, so that the parents of the Canyon Creek community can work to provide for their family and keep Austin prosperous. 

Also, to counter any argument in favor of rezoning to commercial (other than nursery school) or residential. First, Boulder Lane, where the property is located does not have any other commercial property. Second, there are several apartment buildings currently being developed on FM 620 within 10 minutes of the Bluebonnet property. Third, there are many houses for sale which have been sitting on the market in the Canyon Creek neighborhood. In conclusion, the Canyon Creek community does not need more commercial or residential property, it does however, need to maintain a quality nursery school within its borders. Currently, residents of Canyon Creek do not have to drive onto FM620 to get to the school. If a nursery school were to no longer be located within Canyon Creek, it would only add to the already substantial traffic on FM620.