WEST PALM BEACH, FL — Palm Beach County commissioners voted 6-1 Tuesday to deny Calvary Chapel's proposed K-12 school on Indiantown Road in rural Jupiter Farms, siding with county planning staff and the county Zoning Commission over hours of public testimony that split members of the surrounding community.
The vote came at the Board of County Commissioners' zoning hearing on July 14, 2026, and rejected a Class A Conditional Use request from Calvary Chapel of Jupiter, Inc. that would have allowed an elementary and secondary school on 18.588 acres at the southeast corner of Indiantown Road and Rocky Pines Road. Commissioner Maria Sachs made the motion to deny without prejudice. Commissioner Joel Flores seconded it. Mayor Sara Baxter cast the lone vote in opposition.
"This will happen one day. We will have the school. I will not close the door on it," Sachs said before the vote.
Because the denial was made without prejudice, Calvary Chapel is not barred from returning with a revised application at a later date.
County planning staff had recommended denial, finding that the application failed to meet five of the eight standards required for a Class A Conditional Use, according to the staff report cited during the hearing. The Palm Beach County Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend denial at its earlier hearing.
The site sits within the county's Rural Tier, in an area governed by the Jupiter Farms Neighborhood Plan. The application drew hundreds of written comments and dozens of in-person speakers on both sides. Mayor Baxter said at the start of the day that the meeting had drawn more than 100 comment cards.
Speakers opposed to the project cited traffic on Indiantown Road, water use and aquifer impacts, the rural character of Jupiter Farms, and the condition of Rocky Pines Road, a private road maintained by the Indian Trail Improvement District. Speakers in support said the school would fill a need for a K-12 faith-based education option in the area and reduce daily commutes for Jupiter Farms families whose children currently attend schools outside the community.
Peyton White, a resident of Bridal Lane, said the project should be denied.
"The county zoning commission unanimously voted for denial," White said, urging commissioners to affirm that recommendation.
David Brown, who said he lives about a half mile from the site, told commissioners the application should fail under the county code.
"Zoning staff recommends denial. The zoning commission voted 7-0 to recommend denial," Brown said. "An application that fails to meet any of them, according to the code, shall be deemed adverse to the public interest and shall not be approved."
Supporters included Patty Greener, a 33-year Jupiter Farms resident who said the school would reduce daily driving for area families, and Mrs. Mac, a longtime teacher who said the school would give parents "meaningful options" for their children's education.
Calvary Church Executive Pastor TJ Eve told commissioners the project reflected a long-standing vision for the parcel, which he said was owned by the Diocese of Palm Beach for roughly 30 years before Calvary Chapel purchased it.
"Our proposal is not introducing a new concept for the site. It's simply fulfilling a vision that's existed for decades," Eve said.
The applicant's project team, represented by Dunay, Miskel and Backman and Cotleur & Hearing, said the school would be built in phases, opening with a K-5 program in 2028 and adding one grade per year, reaching full K-12 buildout in 2035. The team said Indiantown Road is currently running at about half of its capacity and that setbacks and buffers along the site's northern, southern and eastern boundaries exceed the county's standard requirements.
The applicant proposed to widen and maintain the portion of Rocky Pines Road adjacent to the school and to add a right-turn lane on Indiantown Road as safety improvements. A representative of the South Indian River Water Control District, which owns and controls the Rocky Pines Road right-of-way, told commissioners the district's board would still have to approve any improvements through the district's own permit process.
During board discussion, Commissioner Marino made an initial motion to approve a reduced-scale version of the project, capped at roughly 100,000 square feet with a lower lot coverage ratio. Mayor Baxter seconded that motion. Sachs then made the substitute motion to deny, which was seconded by Flores and ultimately prevailed 6-1.
Baxter, who cast the sole vote against denial, said her decision was not based on the applicant's faith.
"A yes or no vote has nothing to do, at least for me, with my belief in God or my Christian values. Just understand this is based on information presented before us today. It has nothing to do with religion," Baxter said.
Commissioner Bobby Powell also emphasized that religion was not part of the board's consideration.
"I looked at the plan and evaluated based on the staff report and analysis," Powell said, adding that he could agree with several of the staff findings that the application was noncompliant with conditional use criteria.
Because the denial was made without prejudice, Calvary Chapel of Jupiter, Inc. retains the ability to submit a revised application. Applicant representatives indicated during the hearing that other uses, including a place of worship, could be permitted on the site by right under existing zoning, subject to a separate administrative review process.
In other action Tuesday
Commissioners also acted on several other zoning-day items:
Commissioners voted 7-0 to give first-reading approval and permission to advertise revisions to the county's Unified Land Development Code that would define a large-scale data center use and establish a moratorium on such facilities. The item was added to the agenda as an amendment implementing direction from the July 7, 2026 BCC hearing, and it came one day before the board is scheduled to consider the Project Tango data center application on July 15. During the discussion, commissioners weighed whether to recess the item and take it up July 15 alongside Tango before choosing to vote on the permission to advertise Tuesday. A second reading is scheduled for August 27, 2026.
Commissioners voted 5-2 to approve a development order amendment and rezoning that removes 2.39 acres from the Piper's Glen PUD and allows seven single-family lots on the southwest corner of Piper's Glen Boulevard and Military Trail. The approvals included a 30-foot height cap. Sachs and Baxter opposed both votes. Residents of adjoining Tuscany Bay had asked commissioners to deny the requests.
Commissioners voted unanimously to advance a resolution transferring County Road 880, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard E to U.S. 441/U.S. 98/Southern Boulevard, to the Florida Department of Transportation in phases, over multiple construction milestones.
Commissioners voted 7-0 to give first-reading approval and permission to advertise revisions to the county's Unified Land Development Code that would define a large-scale data center use and establish a moratorium on such facilities. The item was added to the agenda following direction given at the July 7, 2026 BCC hearing, and a second reading is scheduled for August 27, 2026.
Commissioners voted 5-2 to advertise an ordinance creating a Law Enforcement Municipal Service Taxing Unit for unincorporated Palm Beach County, with a public hearing set for September 15, 2026. Commissioners Sachs and Flores voted against advertising the framework, citing a lack of detailed information on how it would affect municipalities that contract with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Commissioners also voted 7-0 to approve an interlocal agreement consenting to the Village of Wellington's annexation of a 5.5-acre segment of Lake Worth Road right-of-way adjacent to Panther Run Elementary School, and 7-0 to advance revisions related to fitness centers in the Commerce Future Land Use category and self-service storage facility regulations.
What happens next
Calvary Chapel of Jupiter, Inc. may return with a revised application. The applicant's team told commissioners it has not decided whether to sell the site or repurpose it for a use allowed by right, such as a sanctuary. The BCC's next zoning hearing is scheduled for August 27, 2026, with the Law Enforcement MSTU public hearing set for September 15, 2026.
Commissioners directed staff to return in roughly 18 months with a master plan for the Agricultural Reserve, developed in coordination with community stakeholders and without hiring an outside consultant.
Zoning changes, comprehensive plan amendments, and land use decisions can have a major impact on Palm Beach County neighborhoods. Boca Post covers Planning Commission reviews, BCC votes, and major proposals through our Palm Beach County Government page.
