ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County Public Schools looking to reopen a centuries-old building by transforming it into a one-of-a-kind arts and entertainment magnet school.

Officials say the project has been years in the making — the historic Cherokee School is a building district officials say they have wanted to restore for a while.

While funds have been secured to do so, some members of the community have come out against the plan, saying it will bring additional traffic congestion and noise to the area around the school. 

What You Need To Know

Orange County Public Schools is expected to begin construction later this year on the historic Cherokee School

The district plans to turn the school into an art and entertainment magnet high school with about 500-600 students expected to attend from across Orange County

Some residents in the Delaney Park/SoDo community, though, say they are concerned about what kind of impact the increase in people in the area will have on traffic, parking and noise
Some of those residents have said they do not want the school to open in the community, though they support the overall concept

With the money secured to fund the renovations, the school is expected to open in phases starting in the fall of 2028, with about 65 students in the first year

Regardless, there has also been lot of excitement from the community about the new high school, which is expected to open by August 2028.

“There are employers that are looking out-of-district to hire people and to hire people working in these industries, and we can provide those students for them right here,” said School Board member Stephanie Vanos.

The project is in her district, and she said the school would be similar to a performing arts school, but one that leans more on the technical side, offering students music, theater and visual arts programs.

Despite that excitement and all the opportunities the new school is expected to bring to the community, it has also garnered some concern because of its location.

“I think everyone agrees with the concept of the school and what they’re looking to do — make it this premier-type of institution,” resident Bob Gold said. “It’s just maybe not at the right location.”

Gold has lived across the street from the empty building for the past two years. While he and his wife are newer to the community, Gold said they have seen the congestion, the parking issues and the constant flow of traffic in the area.

With the proposed school expected to accommodate about 600 students, residents like Gold have argued that their neighborhood might not be the best place for it.

 “This is a one-way street,” Gold said. “There are really no pickup or drop-off areas established yet. The parking area is really, really restricted. So, the traffic flow through this neighborhood is going to just choke it. It’s going to choke the neighborhood down.”

After several community meetings, Vanos said the district has been working to find solutions to some of the concerns, including decreasing the originally student population from 600 to 500. She said additional plans are being considered to adderss questions about parking and traffic.

After continued conversations with the residents, Vanos said one proposal is to set a staggered schedule where there would be no more than 250 students at the school on any given day.

She said the school would be opening in phases as well, starting with about 65 students in the first year and growing each year for four years to reach 250 students.

As far as parking, Vanos said the current parking lot would be used, as well as additional spaces in place of the playground. Even then she said the total number of parking spaces would be less than 100.

“It would have about 86 spots — it would have 30 for the teachers and faculty that would be at the school, it would have a couple of visitor’s spots and then about 50 spots for student parking,” she said.

While Vanos said there isn’t a perfect answer for every concern, the district has plans to hold additional meetings with updates and opportunities for the community to share their thoughts.