PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Plans to build a private school in Jupiter Farms hit another roadblock Thursday.
The Palm Beach County zoning commission on Thursday unanimously voted to recommend denying Calvary Church's plan to build a private school in Jupiter Farms.
The church wants to construct a kindergarten through 12th-grade school for nearly 1,000 students on Rocky Pines Road, just off West Indiantown Road. However, some residents worry the proposed school will destroy their community’s rural character.
Residents worry about traffic impacts and believe the school will draw students from outside Jupiter Farms, clogging West Indiantown Road with cars and buses.
"I just don't believe it fits here in the community, that big of a school with that many students. It's going to cause crazy traffic," one person opposed to the project said Thursday.
Thursday's vote comes after the county's zoning board staff recommended last week to deny the project.
Dean Butters from Calvary Church told WPTV anchor Mike Trim in April that there's a demand for Christian education in the area.
The church wants to build the school on 18.8 acres, housing about 75 students per grade, plus 60 teachers and staff.
Thursday's meeting at the Vista Center in West Palm Beach had more than 50 public comments, with some in support of the project.
County commissioners will have the final say on the project at a June 17 meeting.
