Commission approves first reading to rezone 5.3 acres for Green School campus expansion

The West Palm Beach City Commission on May 26 voted unanimously on first reading to rezone roughly 5.3 acres at 2001 South Dixie Highway to permit a unified Green School commercial plan development.

John Schmidt, agent for the applicant, told the commission the request would consolidate approximately 18 individual lots into a single campus, add classroom space for grades 9–12, additional athletic facilities and parking, and reorganize drop-off and circulation so that on-street drop-offs would be minimized. "We'd like to rezone the property to...commercial plan development that allows us to make one unified lot," Schmidt said.

Schmidt described planned new facilities including a roughly 27,000-square-foot racket (tennis) facility, nearly 25,000 square feet of additional academic space, and a circulation plan that provides more than the required parking (115 spaces on site compared with 94 required; counting on-street spaces brings the total to 131). He also said an optional pedestrian bridge across the FEC railroad to an owner-held parcel across the tracks could be proposed in a future entitlement process but would require FEC approval.

Stephanie Gregory, the city’s planning and zoning administrator, told the commission staff found the rezoning consistent with the city’s zoning and land-development standards and recommended approval with conditions, including the requirement that the future skybridge receive FEC approval before permitting. Gregory noted unanimous planning board approval.

The commission approved the ordinance on first reading and scheduled a second reading for June 8, 2026. Final site-plan approvals, any required permits, and the separate approvals for a pedestrian bridge would be considered at later hearings.