VERO BEACH — Plans for a new Vero Beach Classical School campus moved forward this week despite opposition from some nearby residents concerned about how the project could change the surrounding rural area.
During a May 5 meeting, the Indian River County Commission considered a proposal for a new K-12 campus for Vero Beach Classical School, a Christian-focused school currently operating out of leased space at the Tabernacle Facility in Vero Beach.
Dan Sorrow of Mills Short and Associates, speaking on behalf of the project, said the school is seeking a permanent home after outgrowing its current location.
“The school is currently leasing space in the city of Vero Beach at the Tabernacle Facility. They purchased the subject property and are looking forward to having a campus of their own and a place that they can call home,” he said.
Project plans presented to commissioners included classroom buildings and athletic facilities, including a football stadium. According to Sorrow, the campus would eventually serve about 1,200 students across elementary, middle and high school grade levels.
“The full build-out will have approximately 1,200 students in all three tiers, elementary, middle and high school. The campus is well-rounded with several amenities and facilities to support learning and growing mentally, physically, socially and spiritually,” he said.
Several residents who live near the proposed site urged commissioners to reject the project, arguing it would disrupt the area’s rural atmosphere and create new noise and lighting concerns.
James Moran, who said he lives adjacent to the proposed school site, questioned whether the development was appropriate for the neighborhood.
“For one, nobody in our area wants this. I mean, who would?” Moran said. “Would you want a stadium right next to your house that you’ve lived in your whole life? Absolutely not. And I mean, if you wouldn’t want it by your house, then I definitely don’t want it by mine.”
Moran also raised concerns about how the school’s presence could affect activities residents have long engaged in on their properties.
“I mean, not just me, all of the surrounding neighbors shoot and we shoot quite a bit. We all have backstops and we shoot a lot,” he said. “Are they going to call the cops every single time or are they going to tell us that we have to stop our target practicing that we’ve been doing since I was born?”
Other nearby residents voiced support for the project and said the school had worked to address concerns raised by the community.
Lynne Kiefer, who said she lives nearby, told commissioners she believed the school had made efforts to accommodate residents and improve infrastructure around the site.
“I’d want to speak in favor of the project. I have had the honor of meeting the founders of this project many, many years ago. I think it’s a wonderful school,” she said. “I think they’ve done a lot of things here to try to be accommodating to the area.”
Kiefer said one of her biggest concerns, the paving of 55th Court Southwest, had been addressed.
“Things are going up around us. I have accepted that and understand that, but I do think it is a wonderful school and I am in support of the project,” she said.
Chris Hill, a member of the school’s board of directors, said the proposal was designed to comply with county requirements and take neighboring properties into account.
“We would not be here, I can assure you, if we did not check every box that was required,” Hill said.
After hearing public comments, commissioners asked county staff whether additional conditions could be added to help reduce impacts on nearby residents.
Ryan Sweeney, the county’s assistant planning and development services director, said restrictions on lighting and operating hours could be imposed.
“One thing that we could impose would be like hours of operations while they are allowed to dim or turn off a certain amount of lighting overnight,” he said.
Sweeney also said additional buffering requirements could help reduce both sound and light pollution from the campus.
Most commissioners ultimately supported the proposal, with Commissioner Joseph Earman saying the project had undergone extensive review.
“This is a project that has been vetted. They’ve jumped through every hoops and done everything they need to do,” Earman said.
Commissioner Joseph Flescher cast the lone dissenting vote as the board approved the project in a 4-1 decision.