Children, a rare sight in Sun City, could become more common in the northwest Valley community widely known for its active-senior living.

Youngtown Public Charter School expects to open next month with more than 100 elementary-school students.

Residents are furious, but it appears they have no recourse. Because of legislation passed in 2009, county officials say the charter school can legally operate in Sun City.

The law states that charter schools must be treated like public schools. By that, they must be allowed to set up wherever public schools are allowed. That includes commercial spaces like the one selected in Sun City.

Despite that, Sun City residents argue that a school violates the intent of the master-planned community, which was designed and zoned 50 years ago specifically for senior citizens. There is no school district in Sun City because no children are allowed to live there. That's the model residents want to keep.

"Residents are pretty upset," said Bill Szentmiklosi, compliance manager for the Sun City Home Owners Association. "When Sun City was founded in the '60s, nobody could anticipate 50 years later a school would be coming in."

On the other side is Jack Duran, the charter school's owner and principal.

He said if he had known the uproar his school would cause, he would have relocated to another area.

Duran's school was originally in nearby Youngtown. Owners there wanted to sell the property, Duran said, so he set off to find another spot on short notice.

Duran, who is a pastor of New Joy Ministries, says his school's mission is "helping all K-8 students reach their academic potential." Duran's church operates separately from the charter school, but they would share the same space, he said.

Duran noticed a for-lease sign at a commercial space near 107th and Peoria avenues and asked the landlord if there was an issue with setting up a school in that space.

"No problem? No regulations?" Duran said he asked. "No," was the response he said he got.

Duran is right, says Maricopa County Supervisor Max Wilson, whose jurisdiction includes unincorporated Sun City.

Wilson opposes the charter school in Sun City but says the county has no say in the case because of the charter-school legislation. State law trumps local control, he said.

"It's an unintended consequence on this retirement community," Wilson said.

Residents, who fight to keep the area age-restricted, are worried that the charter school could mean two things they want to avoid: a local property tax for schools and jeopardy for their senior-citizen overlay-zoning district. Residents fear a school could make way for children to be allowed to live in the area.

Neither is a possibility, Wilson's office said.

Charter schools do not need to locate within a larger school district to operate.

As a result, even though charter schools get state funding, it would not lead to a school property tax in Sun City.

Despite the August start, Duran's facility still must pass code inspections.

As he races to get that done, Sun City residents want more dialogue on the issue. The Sun City Home Owners Association is holding a town-hall meeting today to do just that.