Bancroft wants to build 160-student school on its Mount Laurel campus; planning board hearing next week.

A proposal for a two-story school for 160 students that Bancroft NeuroHealth plans on its Mount Laurel campus goes before the Township planning board next week.

The nonprofit, based in Cherry Hill, would serve children ages 3 to 11 with autism and developmental disabilities in the building, according to documents with its application for preliminary and final major site plan approval.

A public hearing on Bancroft's proposal is scheduled for the remote-only board meeting on Thursday, October 8 at 6 p.m. via Zoom.  

The 55,205-square-foot school at 311 Walton Avenue on Bancroft School's Welsh Campus would have 188 staff members. 

The school is scheduled to open in 2028 on former agricultural land that now is a lawn on the southeast part of the campus, according to the application. 

Bancroft's overall 80-acre Mount Laurel campus was approved by the planning board in 2016. A possible future expansion on the southwest part of the property is mentioned in the documents, but details were not provided.

Arsenic was found in soil on the proposed building site, but a report for Bancroft by Dewberry Engineers Inc. of Parsippany, New Jersey states it is naturally occurring and not associated with historical agricultural activities or a discharge.

Dewberry reported it found no potentially contaminated Areas of Concern that required additional investigation.