ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Plans for a brand new middle school and YMCA in North St. Pete are back on the agenda after an initial approval by the city, followed by a denial. 

What You Need To Know

  • Plans for a new middle school and a YMCA are under consideration again for St. Pete

  • The plans were originally approved, then rejected based on the existing site plan at the time

  • Now, locals support the new plan, and believe that it will help the community

While some residents are hoping the third time’s the charm, others are more cautious, and say these plans need to be on point in order to gain their neighborhood’s support.

David Delrahim is determined to have his now 7-year-old son in a middle school close to home by the time he’s in 6thgrade. “The more signatures there are, the more likely it is that the council will take this extremely seriously,” Delrahim told Spectrum News.

He’s referring to an online petition he started to inform St. Pete City Council members about how many families want the District to build a new middle school and YMCA. He says the current school is overcrowded, far away, and there’s no affordable child care nearby.

“I’m seeing, just like this, growing family, with all the growth in St. Pete we need it for the kids, we need a safe place for our kids to go to,” Delrahim continued. 

St. Pete City Council members first approved the project in January. Then, the Development Review Commission denied it last month due to concerns from residents in the Mangrove Bay neighborhood, the proposed site for the school.

Rick Carr is one of those residents.  His home is within walking distance to the proposed site.  

“The thing I would like to make absolutely clear is that nobody in this neighborhood has any problem with the YMCA, or the middle school, what we have a problem with was the original site plan,” Carr told Spectrum News about his original opposition. 

He says where the original plan had the entrance, it put a few hundred cars per day driving through this neighborhood.  “Now, there’s been an alternate site plan that’s been offered, and using actually ideas that we presented and that’s a really great thing if that goes through.”

Carr says the most recent plan is something his neighborhood can support, bringing this community together. 

Pinellas County Schools currently owns the property, and both the YMCA and school district report that they submitted the revised site plans earlier this week addressing the residents' concerns. The project team also filed an appeal of the decision made by the DRC in April. City Council is scheduled to review the new site plan on May 12.