A proposal to build a new charter school on Tallahassee’s northeast side has been tanked, after concerns about increased traffic from residents.
The original proposal from STARS Middle School officials called for a 42,000 square foot building to be constructed in the Lake Hall Heights neighborhood near Killearny Way. In addition to a building expansion, the school also planned to start enrolling elementary school students. But residents say such an expansion could lead to increased traffic.
In an extensive letter dated November 19, residents listed a litany of concerns with the project including an objection to the removal of 75 mature trees, losses in property value and and noise levels.
“We’ve got good schools out here in the Northeast, so we don’t need charter schools here like other places that might desire them, and I would suggest that it was just a school trying to fit something on a lot they thought was available to them," said neighborhood resident William Huston, who says his most pressing concern was an increase in traffic.
City officials received more than 200 letters opposing the construction project and at a recent public hearing, more residents spoke against the project than for it.
The issue of whether to allow STARS to build in an area classified as a Lake Preservation Zone was supposed to go before the Tallahassee City Commission at its Tuesday meeting, but school officials have withdrawn their application. STARS officials did not respond to a request for comment.
