Traffic Signal Up for Re-evaluation This Fall

North Valley Christian Academy has broken ground on its new Early Childhood Development Center, with construction expected to be completed by late May 2027.

The new two-story facility will house eight classrooms, serving ages 2 through kindergarten. Head of School Chris Schoenleb told Valley Vibe the new building will serve roughly 130 students, the majority of whom are already enrolled at the academy. The move will free up space from the current campus, and he anticipates the student population will only increase by approximately 30 students once the building is complete. 

The project, he said, also addresses other long-term campus needs, including 102 additional parking spaces, along with a separate pick-up and drop-off area for the younger students, which he anticipates will improve traffic flow during both drop off and pick up.  

According to Schoenleb, the project has been designed to help reduce traffic congestion in the surrounding neighborhood, which has been a hot button among neighbors who live behind the school in Carefree Crossing and Amber Hills. A dedicated right-turn lane into the campus from 27th Drive and a traffic pattern that eliminates left turns when exiting the early childhood parking lot, is planned. 

Renderings © Grace Design Studios, Courtesy NVCA

The Early Childhood Center will house approximately 130 students, include 102 additional parking spaces with a separate pick-up and drop-off area for students age 2 through kindergarten. The new design is projected to reduce traffic congestion in the Carefree Crossing and Amber Hills neighborhoods.

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As for a traffic signal at the intersection of 27th Drive and Westland Road, a spokesperson for the City of Phoenix Transportation Department told Valley Vibe that while the school has already contributed funding for a future stoplight several years ago, “there is still additional funding that needs to be identified and the intersection still needs to meet requirements for a traffic signal to be warranted.”  

He said the intersection is scheduled to be re-evaluated in the fall.

Schoenleb said the school has also worked closely on a plan to preserve the natural vegetation in the wash behind the campus. “Rather than removing a significant number of mature trees, the academy worked with the City to develop an approach that preserved much of the natural desert vegetation, maintaining a natural buffer between the new building and the neighboring homes while meeting the City’s environmental requirements,” Schoenleb told Valley Vibe in an email. 

The early childhood center represents the second phase of a two-phase campus expansion project that began with the construction of the academy’s high school building on the main campus in 2024.