Community meeting regarding proposed school

Villa Woodbine

There is a community meeting on Wednesday, January 22, regarding the proposed new school construction at the Villa Woodbine location, 2167 South Bayshore Drive.

The meeting is at Hotel Ayra, 2889 McFarlane Road from 5:30 to 7:30 pm

On January 11, Carrolton School for the Sacred Heart announced the purchase the 3.7 acre historically designated property, known as Villa Woodbine, in order to build Woodbine School, an all-boys elementary school for grades K-5 with nearly 350 students and 50 faculty/staff.

In 1999, the City of Miami unanimously approved a change of use for the property from single-family use to the existing use as a “private club” with the following conditions: a) is not out of scale with the needs of the neighborhood or City; b) will not materially alter the population, density pattern or increase or over tax the load on public facilities such as utilities, streets, etc.; c) will not adversely influence living conditions in the neighborhood; d) will not create or excessively increase traffic congestion or otherwise affect public safety; e) will not create a drainage problem; f) will not adversely affect property value in the adjacent area; and g) will not constitute a grant of special privilege to an individual owner so as to compromise the protection of the public welfare.

The Miami Historic and Environmental Protection Board recently considered the project and the measure failed passage, prompting an appeal from the school’s developer and a concurrent appeal by Bayshore In Grove, which is scheduled before the Miami City Commission at its regularly scheduled January 23, 2020 meeting.

Bayshore In Grove is a not for profit organization dedicated to the advocacy of smart growth strategies critical for climate resilience and for maintaining the unique sense of place that encourages the Coconut Grove “State of Mind."