Brooklyn Center school officials are hoping a change of address will help the district's alternative high school serve more at-risk teens and create revenue by keeping students who might otherwise drop out or leave the district.

After several rounds of discussion and fact-finding, the Brooklyn Center City Council this week passed along a proposal that would allow the Brooklyn Center Alternative Learning Center to move from the high school campus into bigger digs.

The proposed site, the Palmer Lake Plaza, houses the Brown College campus and the Northwest Suburban Integration School District. The building, at 6860 Shingle Creek Pkwy., is in an area that is zoned for commercial, industrial, and adult and supplemental education uses, not traditional K-12 education, which usually is allowed only in residential zones.

The proposal would amend city zoning ordinances to classify alternative learning programs as nontraditional education, more like business and trade schools than high schools.

The plan was approved for a second hearing at the City Council meeting on Dec. 10.

Right now, the Brooklyn Center ALC serves 55 students. There is a waiting list, and Superintendent Keith Lester wonders how many students just drop out because going to the ALC still involves going daily to the high school.

"Alternative school was meant to be an alternative to regular school, but then we put it in a regular school," he said, adding that he thinks there's enough demand for the program to serve as many as 100 students.

Space in Palmer Lake Plaza is leased for $14.74 a square foot, and depending on which space the school takes over, the district's revenue from the increased student count could outpace expenses by more than $150,000, even including staffing for the larger student body.

The Palmer Lake Plaza site is also wheelchair accessible, unlike the high school ALC site, which is on the school's second story, with no elevators.

In considering the change, the City Council discussed:

• Whether it would result in a glut of alternative schools in one area.

• The potential proximity of adult-oriented businesses. There aren't any right now in and around Palmer Lake Plaza, but they are allowed in the building under the existing zoning laws.

• Confining the language of the proposal to include only day schools and not residential programs.

City Council Member Kay Lasman said she'll support the proposal.

"Of course I'm in favor of providing opportunities for education for a student," she said. "I feel good about that part of it. We're accommodating kids who go that way to get their high school diploma."

Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409

Maria Elena Baca • mbaca@startribune.com