Montgomery County · Cheltenham · MCPC #25-0085-001
Cedarbrook Middle School - Building Additions & Renovations
300 Longfellow Road, Cheltenham, PA · 18,972 sq ft non-residential, school · 34.11 acres
About this project
The Cheltenham School District plans two additions to Cedarbrook Middle School at 300 Longfellow Road in Wyncote, totaling about 18,972 square feet. The project also reconfigures the parking lots, adds one parking space, and upgrades two underground stormwater beds. Some driveway and pavement areas will be removed, so impervious coverage grows by only about 13,330 square feet.
County planning commission: Supports, with comments
Issues raised: 14 hawthorn trees with thorns proposed near a middle school, Parking island landscaping should be consistent across the full island, Shrub replacement recommended near the northwest entrance and stormwater bed UG2, Tree planting detail needed for slopes along the ball field drive aisle, Stormwater management must handle the added 13,330 sq ft of impervious coverage; county defers to the township engineer
- Engineer / rep.
- Chester Valley Engineers, Inc.
- Zoning
- C-2
- Approvals needed
- waiver from Cheltenham Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance Section 260-15c(11)(b)
- Utilities
- public water (Aqua PA)
- Demolition
- Some existing driveway and pavement areas removed
Filing history
- 2025-04-17 · MCPC #25-0085-001 · Land Dev Plan, Prelim Plan · 18,972 sq ft
County review letters
2025-04-17 · CHELT 25-0085-001r.pdf
The full picture AI research · Nov 1, 2026
The Cheltenham School District plans two additions to Cedarbrook Middle School on Longfellow Road in Wyncote, adding about 18,972 square feet in total. The school sits on a campus of roughly 34 acres. The current building opened in 2018, after the earlier school was closed because of mold.
The work also reshuffles the parking lots, adds one parking space, and upgrades two underground stormwater beds. Some driveway and pavement will be removed, so hard surfaces grow by only about 13,330 square feet.
The additions are tied to a district plan to move to K–5 and 6–8 schools. A May 2025 news report said the additions would provide 19 classrooms for sixth graders. It said construction was expected to start in 2026 and finish by fall 2027. Sixth graders will use temporary modular classrooms in the meantime.
What it could mean nearby
- Sixth graders joining the 7th–8th grade school could mean more drop-off and pick-up activity on and around the campus, though no traffic study was found.
- Parking changes are small, with one added space, so the lot layout may change more than its capacity.
- Upgraded stormwater beds should help manage runoff from the added pavement and roofs.
- The district's grade restructuring, including closing Elkins Park School, is the reason for the additions.
Where it stands
The county planning filing was dated April 2025, and a news report said the school board approved the wider grade-reconfiguration plan in May 2025. Next usually come local land-development and stormwater approvals, bidding, and then construction. Construction was expected to start in 2026, but no confirmation of that was found.
- Sep 2027 Target for completing the additions, according to a May 2025 news report
- 2026 Planned start of construction, per the same report
- May 27, 2025 School board voted to close Elkins Park School and adopt the K–5 and 6–8 plan
- Apr 17, 2025 Latest county planning filing for the project
Want to weigh in? The Cheltenham School District board and the Cheltenham Township officials who review land development decide next, and residents can comment at their public meetings.
Who's behind it
Cheltenham School District · The public school district serving Cheltenham Township, which is the project owner. Chester Valley Engineers, Inc. is the engineering firm on the county filing.
Around the web
- Cheltenham school board moves to close Elkins Park SchoolWHYY · May 28, 2025Reports that Cedarbrook will gain 19 sixth-grade classrooms, with construction starting in 2026 and finishing by fall 2027.
- Cedarbrook Middle School – LEED SilverGilbert ArchitectsDescribes the current Cedarbrook building, which replaced the earlier school.
Planning terms explained
- Impervious coverage
- Surfaces such as roofs and pavement that do not let rain soak into the ground.
- Stormwater bed
- An underground storage area that holds rainwater and releases it slowly to reduce flooding.
- Land development
- The township's formal review of new buildings and site changes before construction.
- Modular classrooms
- Temporary prefabricated classroom buildings used while permanent space is built.
Researched by AI from public sources on Nov 1, 2026. It can make mistakes, so check the linked sources and the municipality before relying on it.
Scope estimate for contractors
Estimated construction value: $6.6M
- ~94 roofing squares (assumes 2 stories)
- ~47 tons of cooling (rule of thumb 400 sq ft/ton)
- ~2.2 acres of site work (grading, stormwater, landscaping)
- Two building additions onto an existing school
- Parking lot reconfiguration and removal of a drive aisle
- Improvements to two subsurface stormwater detention/infiltration beds
- Landscape planting, including trees and shrubs
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