Mount Pleasant Grants Boarding School Final Approval

A proposal to convert a portion of the Legion of Christ property into a private boarding school for high school students was unanimously approved by the Mount Pleasant Planning Board Monday night.

EF International Academy is planning to open the campus with an estimated 800 students from around the world and 100 employees next September. The school will be situated on 97 acres of the roughly 265-acre Legion of Christ property located off of Columbus Avenue in Thornwood.

Following the Dec. 16 public hearing, the planning board voted for site plan approval. It came six days after the town board approved a series of zoning text changes and a special permit to allow EF International Academy to move the school from Tarrytown. EF International will continue to operate a language school for college-age international students at its current location.

John Kirkpatrick, an attorney representing the academy, told the planning board his client has been “a good neighbor in Tarrytown. The plan is to do the same thing here.”

Kirkpatrick said school officials have been meeting with representatives from the Mount Pleasant School District about partnering on academic and athletic programs.

EF International President Mark Seman said the high school program in Tarrytown is meant to prepare its students for acceptance to prestigious colleges.

“They go to some of the top universities in the world,” he said.

Headmaster Dr. Brian Mahoney said the students will have a “well-structured program.” Classes will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Clubs, intramural sports and other programs are scheduled after class, and mandatory study halls, which are supervised, are held after dinner.

Aside from classes and afterschool activities, students would take PSAT and SAT test preparations and other extra classes on weekends, Mahoney said.

Planning board member Regina Pellegrino said she was satisfied with answers provided by the academy to questions during the previous meeting on several issues, including traffic.

“You answered them all,” she said.

School representatives accepted a proposal from planning board member Denis McCarthy to create an advisory board of town residents who would meet with EF International officials on a regular basis. The school currently has an advisory board comprised of Tarrytown residents, Kirkpatrick said.

Dr. Charles Keller, vice president of the Westwind Swim and Tennis Association on Columbus Avenue, said he visited the Tarrytown campus and lauded its facilities. He inquired whether EF International was interested in purchasing any more property from the Legion of Christ to expand the campus.

“Right now the 97 acres are quite substantial,” Seman replied, adding there no plans to buy additional property.

West Lake Drive resident Alex Togzan expressed concerns that the boarding school would be located near his home, which could have a negative impact on the value of his property.

Planning board member Joan Lederman said the school would not be seen from West Lake Drive and should not affect residents who live on the street. She said the new boarding school would be a positive addition to town and would provide tax revenues to Mount Pleasant.

Chris Boyea, an engineer employed by EF International, said the entry and exit to the campus would be off Columbus Avenue and have no impact on West Lake Drive. The school is looking to renovate existing athletic facilities, but was not planning to expand any of them, he said.

Planning Board Chairman Michael McLaughlin did not attend the meeting.