Responding to rising demand for services, the Minnesota Autism Center School in Eagan is planning to add a "high school and quasi-college" in a second classroom building that would more than double the school's size and enrollment.
The proposed expansion would include a 50,000-square-foot building for 150 additional students and 130 additional staff members, according to documents the developer, Minneapolis-based Ryan Cos., filed with the city. The school, northeast of the intersection of Hwys. 77 and 13, has 125 students and 150 staff in a 40,000-square-foot building.
"This is primarily due to increased demand for their services," Dan Mueller, director of development for Ryan Cos., told Eagan planning commission members. "Across the country, as many as one in 50 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This number has significantly increased in the last 20 or 30 years, and the need for Minnesota Autism Center's services has never been higher."
The new Minnesota Autism Center (MAC) school building, planned on 6.5 acres west of the existing building, would have "the look and feel of a high school and a technical college, sort of a blend of the two," with classrooms, lockers, a gym and athletic field, Mueller said.
In a statement, autism center CEO Kathryn Marshall said, "This project allows MAC to continue with its mission to serve more families, kids and children affected by autism." A high school would occupy the first floor of the new two-story building with a "MAC College" going on the second floor, according to documents submitted to the city. The new building would serve students age 13 to 21 while services in the existing building would focus on students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The school has identified "a need for post-high school assistance and solutions for their students," Mueller said. "A central focus of this expansion would be to provide and teach life skills for real world applications beyond high school and the traditional classroom." Those skills would include finding and keeping a job, he said.
The nonprofit school is planning for construction to begin in late summer with completion expected a year later.
Plans change
In March, the school secured one of the approvals necessary to move forward with the project when City Council members directed staff to submit a comprehensive plan amendment to the Metropolitan Council. The amendment would change the land use designation of the 6.5-acre site from "mixed use" to "quasi-public." If the Metropolitan Council approves the amendment, the City Council would then consider rezoning the property.
