Local Planning Agency backs land‑use and zoning changes for Ignite Academy near Keystone Road

The Pinellas County Local Planning Agency recommended approval Friday of a land‑use map amendment and a companion zoning change that would let Ignite Academy, a small private K‑8 school, relocate to 2271 Keystone Road in East Lake Tarpon.

Scott Swearingen, a long‑range planner with Pinellas County, told the board staff finds the proposed change from Residential Rural to Institutional and the requested residential‑agricultural to limited‑institutional zoning consistent with the comprehensive plan. "The staff recommends approval," Swearingen said, noting the 5.23‑acre site is not in a coastal storm area or coastal high‑hazard area and that the change is consistent with similar institutional uses along Keystone Road.

The applicant said the move is mainly a technical step because the school use is already allowed in the area but the parcel is 0.23 acres larger than the county's five‑acre threshold for institutional uses. Attorney Brian Ungst, representing the contract purchaser Ignite Academy and owner Wayne Vaughan, said the 40,000‑square‑foot two‑story concept (about a 20,000‑square‑foot footprint) and a low‑enrollment operation (135 current students from about 75 families) make the proposal compatible with surrounding uses. "This use is already permitted given the current land use and zoning," Ungst said, adding that detailed traffic, buffering and stormwater controls will be handled during site‑plan review.

Neighbors at the hearing urged the board to deny the change. Adjacent resident Linda Van Dam said she gathered petitions from 63 neighbors and described the property’s proximity to her home: "It's another view of the lot line. My house basically is tilted to where it looks right towards his," she said, and warned about queuing on Keystone Road and conflicts at the Pinellas Trail crossing. Other opponents raised similar concerns about traffic, buffering and neighborhood character.

Engineer Curt Heinrichs, who described a conceptual layout, said the design shows about 80 parking spaces and on‑site circulation intended to contain drop‑off and pick‑up operations. He also noted the proposal would bring the parcel up to contemporary stormwater standards. Swearingen and board members repeatedly noted that many operational and design issues would be addressed at the site‑plan or type‑2 review stage if the land‑use and zoning changes were approved.

The board moved to approve FLU25.08 (motion by Hendricks; second by Hamilton) and then to approve ZON25.07; both motions carried, with one recorded nay on the zoning motion. Both items will be scheduled for a Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners public hearing on Nov. 18, 2025, at 6 p.m.

The Local Planning Agency record shows the staff report and public comments will travel with the recommendation to the county commission for final action.