By Brian Trompeter
The Vienna Board of Zoning Appeals on July 17 unanimously granted a conditional-use permit to let a local driving-instruction school begin offering in-person classes.
Coach Issam’s Driving School is located at 450 Maple Ave., E., Suite 302, in the Wolftrappe Shopping Center in the town’s Avenue East zoning district.
Applicant Issam Mohamed previously held online-only driving courses at the office, but now will be able to conduct in-person driver-education classes and examinations with up to four students at a time. On-the-road driving sessions will be held off-site.
The business will offer its services between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. seven days per week. In-person classes will be appointment-based. According to the company’s Website, Mohamed is fluent in English, Arabic, Spanish and French.
Mohamed was not able to attend the meeting, but his daughter read a statement from him saying that all of the students will need to have trained for at least 45 hours’ with their parents or guardians before attending the school.
“No first-time drivers will be trained near the office vicinity, and students will be picked up and dropped off from their homes during driving classes,” the statement read.
Because the students will be picked up at their homes for off-site driving lessons, there is less need for parking at the business, said Maggie Costello, the town’s principal planner.
The shopping center has about 210 parking spaces, accessible from Maple Avenue, E., and East Street, N.E., and the business requires only five of those, Costello said. All of the parking would be off-street, she said.
The Vienna Planning Commission on July 10 recommended that the BZA approve the application.
BZA member Robert Petersen moved for the application’s approval at the July 17 meeting.
“There are no adverse impacts on the community and it provides a useful service to the town and makes, in addition, a contribution to the business of the town,” he said.
