SAN MARCOS - With a promise to monitor parking and traffic at its site, High Tech High North County got the green light from the Planning Commission to move forward with plans for permanent high school and middle school buildings on its 5-acre site on San Marcos Boulevard at Discovery Street. The school opened in September with temporary buildings at the same location.

At their Monday meeting, several commissioners expressed concern over the limited parking proposed -- 144 spaces. The city would ordinarily require 233. They were appeased in part by promises from High Tech High officials that parking and traffic circulation would be the subjects of reports submitted regularly to the city.

"Your staff will see this quarterly," said Christopher Gerber, director of facilities for the school.

Not only have other High Tech High campuses demonstrated a lower-than-average need for parking, Gerber said, High Tech High makes a point of encouraging and facilitating the use of public transportation and car pools.

Still, several commissioners said they expected the school to use all the parking it could get, including that of its neighbors, thanks to shared parking agreements.

"It is my strong suspicion that you will need it," Chairman Steve Kildoo said.

Commissioner Cindy Wedge said a campus culture with less parking and more car-pooling fit the ideals of High Tech High, which officials say will be built using resource-efficient techniques and materials.

"No one has to go to this school," Wedge said. "They choose to go to this school, and part of going to this school is car-pooling."

High Tech High is a charter school that provides a "project-based" learning environment for students who are typically college-bound.

Gerber said the project will be built using principles of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

"This project will be a big case study in how to do schools correctly," he said.

High Tech High is home to approximately 150 freshmen. Officials estimate that the completed campus, including the middle school, will accommodate 860 students and 58 faculty and staff members.

The high school building could be finished by 2009, according to High Tech High officials. The middle school is slated to open for the 2010-11 school year.

The commission voted unanimously to approve the plans, including additional conditions related to noise and drainage at the site, with Commissioner Jim Hernandez abstaining because his son attends High Tech High.

Mara Sanders, special project manager for High Tech High, said there is significant fine-tuning to be done before construction can start at the San Marcos site.

"We're very excited to get started on a brand-new campus for North County," Sanders said after the vote.

- Contact staff writer Colleen Mensching at (760) 739-6675 or cmensching@nctimes.com.