Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

SE-03-05-031 — DON KALLOW/Continued to 6-5-03

Request: Special Exception in R-1 (single family-5,000 sq. ft. lots) zone for religious use facility with the following Variances: 1) Unpaved parking in lieu of paved; 2) 8 ft. rear yard building setback in lieu of 25 ft.

Decision: Denied

Hearing: The BZA continued this public hearing from last month's meeting. At the previous hearing, the applicant stated he was willing to revise the site plan to negate the Variance request and to make additional room for parking. The BZA granted the continuance to allow the applicant this opportunity, with the understanding that a revised site plan would not guarantee an approval of the request. Neighborhood opposition was present at last month's hearing, and was again present at the current hearing. The residents reiterated they are long-standing residents of the area and have had a difficult time trying to preserve it due to the amount of nonresidential uses trying to get into the area. They said the traffic is unbearable on Sundays due to vehicular congestion created by the other churches in the area. The BZA felt the request was incompatible with the residential character of the area. Further, the BZA noted the lot is very small and would not allow for future church growth and the expansion necessitated by that growth. Therefore, the BZA denied the request.