Gotha residents oppose proposed temple

BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir wants to relocate its Hindu temple to West Orange.

Amy Quesinberry Community Editor

An 800-seat, 45,000-square-foot religious institution is being proposed in the Gotha Rural Settlement, and area residents turned out at a community meeting to hear information about the project. All who spoke were against such a large facility being built in their neighborhood.

Orange County case planner Nick Balevich led the meeting June 12 at Gotha Middle School. Nathan Milch is the applicant representing BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, the temple that wants to relocate from its current home on Oak Ridge Road after 50 years to 2198 Hempel Ave.

Milch is requesting a special exception in the A-1 Citrus Rural zoning district to allow for the construction of the religious institution on about 8.37 acres of agricultural land on the west side of Hempel, east of State Road 408 and north of Florida’s Turnpike. Access would be from Hempel.

Before residents participated in a Q&A, Balevich shared Orange County staff findings and attorney Jim Wil- lard, representing the applicant, also presented information.

County staff issued the following findings and requirements: An assembly place with 800 fixed seats with 15 employees equates to one parking space per three fixed seats, plus one space per employee, so 282 spaces are required. The applicant is requesting 312 spaces, including 12 handicap spaces.

The hours of operation would be 4 to 8 p.m. daily for religious worship with no school activities or planned outdoor events.

The Orange County Planning Division found the proposed temple is consistent with the county’s Future Land-Use policy. The county’s Transportation Planning Division reported a trip generation analysis was conducted, and based on the weekday operations of the temple, 22 trips are anticipated. There would be few visitors during the weekday, staff reported; on Saturdays, most visitors would arrive in the evening.

According to Willard, most of the congregation lives in West Orange.

“This would be a modern and welldesigned interior to accommodate their activities and more convenient to the congregation,” he said.

The proposed project includes a two-story building with meeting space, classrooms and a gymnasium set back more than 500 feet from Hempel. The building would be 30 feet in height with a 12-foot steeple. Willard said the temple would mostly be hidden from the road and added extensive landscaping is proposed.

Willard said the 312-space parking lot would be full only during the temple’s five major festivals each year.

The proposal does not include a school or daycare on the property; the classrooms would be used strictly by the temple. The applicant said the facility would not be rented out.

Theresa Schretzmann-Myers, who serves on the board of the Gotha Rural Settlement Association, said stormwater mitigation is her biggest concern. She reminded officials of Orange County’s studies in 2009 and 2018.

“We are in a percolation closed basin,” she said. “We are already flooding on Lake Fischer, Lake Nally, Lake Mills, Lake Gotha; all the graveyards along Morton Jones (Road) are being flooded by water coming off (Florida’s) Turnpike. Three of our neighbors’ houses are under water.

Ocoee Commission approves land development code updates

The Ocoee Commission approved unanimously, with Commissioner Richard Firstner absent, updates to the Land Development Code during its Tuesday, June 20, meeting.

According to the agenda, the city has experienced an increase in codecompliance issues that refer to the application of impervious surface materials on residential lots, which has created an impact on open space, drainage on the property and any surrounding area. Impervious materials include synthetic mulch, turf, gravel, rocks, pavers, roofed pergolas, sheds, and tents or canopies.

The approval includes a clarification of the definition of impervious surface materials, an update to Section 6-4H to state that impervious materials are not permitted within two feet of side and rear property lines and a modification of Sections 5-4K and 6-4H to clarify that natural mulch — such as pine straws, needles and pine bark — will be considered impervious material when it comes to two-foot side and rear setbacks and open spaces when used for parking.

The commission also approved the amendment to the definition of pet care services, which now defines the words “Kennel” and “Pet” as follows,

“This will add more water,” Schretzmann-Myers said. “It is totally out of scale for the historic Gotha Rural Settlement. We’ve got 45,000 square feet plus about 300 parking spaces. That water has to go down, it percolates, and it rises up into the basin.”

If built, this temple would be the

In Other News

n The city of Ocoee approved unanimously, with Commissioner Richard Firstner absent, all items of the consent agenda. These included the approval of the development agreement and the road transportation impact fee credit agreement for the Ocoee Crown Point MixedUse Development, and the approval for the resealing of the roof at Fire Station 25.

“A place where dogs and other house pets are kept, sheltered or boarded for compensation and facilities for protection training,” according to the largest building in Gotha. “This is not something any of us (is) going to embrace,” one attendee said. agenda. Furthermore, a new definition of “Pet Care Services” was approved.

The public hearing before the Orange County Board of Zoning Adjustment is scheduled for July 6, and if approved, it will go before the Orange County Commission July 25.

The last amendment to the LDC approved was a correction. According to the agenda, “Over the years, the ‘Agriculture’ (less intensive uses) and ‘Agriculture Processing’ (more intensive uses) use categories changed their order of appearance in the Uses Regulations Table 5-1 multiple times, and the majority of the time, the determination of use (P, S or prohibited) went with their respective use categories.”

In 2014, the “Agriculture Processing” use category became authorized in every zoning district, while the “Agriculture” use category was prohibited in every zoning district. Hence, the ordinance will reverse the “P” and “-” to correct the error.