Some growth inevitable: How will Glendale Christian School plan affect IRC area? | Opinion
There was no opposition from the public.
Then, a planned 400-student private school kitty-corner to Citrus Elementary at Fourth Street and 27th Avenue was approved by the Indian River County Planning and Zoning Commission. County commissioners have to give final approval.
Given all the uproar around town regarding growth, I’m surprised no one appeared before planners last month to oppose the plan.
A couple of planning and zoning commissioners raised some concerns. In the end, though, the vote was unanimous.
On paper, there’s a lot to like about the planned move of Glendale Christian School and its church four blocks to the south.
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Glendale Christian School at capacity
The drawings look great. The new facility would have an unlit general purpose playing field and other open areas.
It would be a significant improvement over the current school, which serves 250 children in pre-K through eighth grade on a 2.84-acre site at Eighth Street (Glendale Road) and 27th Avenue it’s been on since 1955. The church sanctuary capacity at the new location would double to 400.
Increasing the school’s capacity by 150 eventually would help accommodate future growth in the south county.
In 2019, the school had the most students among private schools in Indian River County receiving Florida tax credit scholarships, also called vouchers. In 2022, the vouchers, though limited, can be disbursed to families of four making up to $104,063, according to EdChoice.org.
On the northeast corner of the busy Fourth Street and 27th Avenue, a significant portion of the 8.78 acres would be cleared, though landscaped buffers would surround the property and almost an acre would be preserved to the northeast.
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Tree survey required
The new school would be a few blocks north of a proposed 44-home subdivision, where trees were clear-cut earlier this year.
At the school-church site, the county will require a tree survey. Hardwood or cabbage palm trees with more than 10 inches of clear trunk may be removed only if the developer re-plants and/or pays into the county’s tree mitigation fund.
My biggest concern with the project is traffic. North St. Lucie and south Indian River counties are growing rapidly and, even at two lanes, 27th Avenue is a main thoroughfare.
It’s often crowded from State Road 60 south, more so during rush hour and school dismissal near the 750-student Citrus Elementary School, operated by the Indian River County School District. In 2007, the district spent more than $2 million to buy 9.77 acres and build a massive parking loop west of Citrus.
Planners: 27th Avenue not too busy
Fourth Street, which connects south and west Indian River County with Indian River Boulevard, also is busy there. County planners said the roads currently have capacity to handle the additional traffic, and should have enough through at least 2045.
But what’s an estimated 1,644 trips per day from the school at build-out, plus an estimated 440 from the new subdivision going to do in that area?
Not much, based on county data showing peak hourly traffic counts of 557 to 722 vehicles between Oslo Road and Eighth Street. The capacity based on county standards is 1,032 to 1,068 trips per hour.
The standard for 27th Avenue, set in 2005 by the County Commission, is level E-plus 20%, on an A-F scale, according to Brian Freeman, staff director of the county's Metropolitan Planning Organization. The level now is D, a threshold often used "as a design condition in urbanized areas," according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
Regardless, we'll get to see the actual impact of the new complex in phases.
As part of its first phase, the church plans to build only a 100-student day care and pre-school. It would build left- and right-turn lanes from 27th Avenue into the school about 500 feet north of the intersection.
The second phase, which would complete the school, would include left- and right-turn lanes from Fourth Street into the school.
The final phase would add the sanctuary, which should, relatively speaking, have limited impact on traffic.
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Infill and smart growth
Ryan Sweeney, the county's chief of current development, is right when he says the future traffic setup will be preferable to what the school has now at Eighth Street and 27th Avenue.
What’s more, he said, there is a long and wide loop and enough parking on campus that cars should not queue on public streets during drop-off and pick-up. That's essential.
The Fourth Street site will be larger and better planned. The unknown is what eventually will happen to the old church and school.
To me, adding a school with recreational amenities — even if used only by Glendale Christian students and church members — is much better than what could have gone on the site otherwise: about 50 more homes.
I’m still a little concerned about the traffic — not just because of the school, but because of overall growth. In 2019, when the project first came up for approval, Randy Fullerton, the church’s pastor and school administrator, told me he didn’t see traffic as an issue.
“We will do whatever’s necessary” to coordinate with Citrus and mitigate traffic, he said.
It’s impossible to put such a pledge in a county planning document, but I trust Fullerton to do the right thing. He wants his parents to have a good experience at the school. Coordinating with Citrus makes sense.
In October, consultants told the county there was enough land inside its urban area for about 35,000 potential residential units, including 10,000 in existing or approved subdivisions and 25,000 on undeveloped land. That translates to about 80,000 people. Indian River County’s population is about 160,000 now.
This area, which in the south county roughly is east of 58th Avenue, will need amenities, too — like schools and houses of worship.
These, to me (barring more strip centers), are preferable than allowing growth to sprawl even more out of control, willy-nilly to the west. It’s a concern I mentioned recently when I wrote of the pros and cons of the planned Interstate 95 interchange at Oslo Road.
Infill — the process of developing land inside urban areas — is one key to what's officially smart growth. This part of it makes sense: Build efficiently, where utilities and other services, such as paved roads and better fire service, exist. Smart growth — along with its pros (conveniences) and cons (higher density) — could be a topic for a future column.
Fellsmere and Sebastian already have grand hopes for growth on what’s now rural land. Filling in what’s empty now can be tough, but oftentimes is better than the alternative.
This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman. Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com, phone at 772-978-2223, Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @LaurenceReisman
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: School planned at busy intersection shows infill challenge | Opinion
