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Neighbors oppose one proposed rezoning; the planning board awaits a traffic analysis to decide. The board recommends rezoning at another site.
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 11, 2003
BROOKSVILLE -- Smiles turned to scowls Monday as residents of two Spring Hill neighborhoods watched the Planning and Zoning Commission back away from recommending denial of a rezoning that would let a new school rise near their homes.
Throughout the two-hour session, commission members raised concerns about the potential traffic nightmare that residents envision if the School Board builds a kindergarten through eighth-grade campus on Deer Street at Linden Drive.
Those counting votes quickly tallied a majority against the request.
The tide turned, though, when commission member Anthony Palmieri asked the district's lawyer whether this was where the School Board plans to build its next school.
"It may very well and probably will be the next school the school district intends to build," board attorney Karen Gaffney answered, adding that the board's preferred site on Elgin Boulevard seems to be slipping away.
The Diocese of St. Petersburg, which owns that property, has made some unacceptable demands, such as a nonrefundable deposit, Gaffney said. It has become increasingly clear that an agreement is not coming, she said.
Panel members who were inclined to reject the overlay district, as their staff recommended and dozens of residents wanted, instead delayed their decision until March, when the district has a detailed traffic analysis available.
"If they could bring back a traffic impact study, we could see what they're talking about," commission member Anna Liisa Covell said.
To the residents, the matter was clear. The proposed school site is smack in the middle of homes as far as the eye can see -- one person called it "houselocked" -- and the expected addition of 1,000 vehicle trips daily would endanger their community.
Gregory Lennon said the county needs to look no further than Floyd Elementary School, off Coronado Street, to see how badly a school's traffic troubles can affect a neighborhood.
Only one nondistrict official supported the site.
"The proposed plan to build a new, desperately needed school on Deer Street meets with our approval," said Kelly Cherubino, representing the county Council of PTAs. "This decision should not be made solely to appease those who are here today, but in consideration of those who come after."
The issue is slated to come back to the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 10.
The commission had few problems with the school district's other proposed school site, 80 acres on U.S. 98 near State Road 50. Only three speakers spoke against the rezoning, citing such issues as high speed traffic and flooding.
"Hey, yes, we need schools on the east side, but not for this very dangerous location," longtime resident and retired teacher Grace Tadlock said.
The planning board unanimously recommended rezoning to the County Commission, nonetheless.
"I'm heartbroken," said Ann Story, who lives adjacent to the site and whose brother is selling the acreage. "Our father gave us that land to protect."
The school district has no immediate plans for an east side location. It hopes to open a school on the Deer Street site in August 2005.