St. Thomas the Apostle School wins Miami-Dade approval to add students, expand
.png "This two-story gymnasium is part of an expansion plan by St. Thomas the Apostle School in Glenvar Heights. On Thursday, March 17, 2022, Miami-Dade commissioners approved the zoning requests needed for the project.")
St. Thomas the Apostle School won Miami-Dade County approval Thursday for a campus expansion, including new classroom buildings, a modern gymnasium and permission to hold an annual carnival on its grounds in the Glenvar Heights neighborhood.
Miami-Dade commissioners voted unanimously for the expansion plan, which is designed to allow the K-8 school to increase enrollment by about 40%.
Part of the county approval allows the current enrollment cap of about 530 students to increase to 750. The approval also lets the school continue to hold its annual one-day festival in the spring without needing permits each year.
Planned upgrades to the campus include:
▪ A two-story gymnasium off Southwest 62nd Street
▪ A two-story rectory building off Southwest 64th Street
▪ Three two-story classroom buildings constructed in phases next to each other, also along Southwest 64th Street
▪ A 15,000-square-foot addition to the existing church on campus
▪ A new meditation garden and parking lot
Some neighbors objected to a larger school, concerned that more vehicles would be dropping off and picking up students. Commissioners said they didn’t want traffic challenges to stop St. Thomas from expanding its offerings to more families.
“It’s hard to please everybody,” said Commissioner Rebeca Sosa, who represents the district that includes the school. “We have traffic everywhere.”
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 3:07 PM.