VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Residents of Aragona Village and Pembroke Manor are fighting to keep their only park and the character of their neighborhood.
Residents say Virginia Beach Schools' plan to build high-density housing is unacceptable and cannot happen.
When Lorraine Samko, President of the Aragona Village Civic League, found out the 18-acre parcel of land could be crammed full of new homes, she was shocked.
"We were stunned," Samko said. "We're all for development, encouraging our city to grow. But it should not be at the expense of our neighborhoods. We feel we need to maintain our character." 
Bayside 6th Grade Campus, along with a basketball court and baseball diamond, currently sits on some of the 18 acres of land. There are nearly 4,000 homes in the area and residents say it's their only park and it should stay that way.
"Spooner Road itself is a nice quiet little cul-de-sac, that the lives of those people living on that road would be severely disrupted should there be 144 units built on this now playground/school we currently enjoy," said Pembroke Manner resident Dr. Joseph Smith.
The residents in the neighborhood took action, signing a petition, which now has nearly 700 signatures.
A Virginia Beach Schools spokesperson said, "There is absolutely no plan or funding for high-density housing."
Samko said documents she's received from the school district say otherwise.
"He specifically stated multi-family residential housing and we immediately told him that was unacceptable."
In addition to the park, Samko said residents are also concerned about traffic, putting stress on the current infrastructure and lowered property values.
In the next month, the Aragona Village Civic League hopes to sit down with the school district and see if they can come to a resolution. The league is hoping the land will be maintained as a school property. If not, they would like to see it returned to the city.
