Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

SE-16-02-157 — WINDERMERE PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Request: Special Exception in the R-CE zoning district to revise the master plan and Variance to construct building (Visual and Performing Arts Center) 48 ft. in height in lieu of 35 ft. (Note: The revisions include a square footage cap of 222,850 sq. ft.; construction of a 48,000 sq. ft. visual and performing arts center; height increase of 48 ft. for proposed visual and performing arts center; relocation of existing maintenance facility; expansion of existing café; student enrollment increase from 1,200 to 1,600; modification to the north and west berms; internal roadway modifications; and Sunday religious use)

Decision: Approved

Hearing: The applicant is amending its master plan. The primary revisions are to construct a 48,000 square foot performing arts building and to modify the landscaped berm on the north line and west sides. Staff gave a presentation. It addressed all changes to the plan and the compromises made between the surrounding residents and the applicant. The applicant gave a presentation. It addressed the need for the changes and the conditions of approval. Several persons spoke in favor of the request. These included students, staff, and parents totaling twelve (12) persons who spoke in favor of the request. Four (4) persons spoke in opposition. They had concerns about impacts to privacy, noise impacts, and visual impacts. Some of the opponents stressed that the applicant should follow their original plan from 1998 and 2014. One (1) opponent advised the BZA that the County's special exception process does not provide any certainty to the residents and any new prospective buyers of land in Orange County. The BZA spoke at length regarding the conditions of approval. Some of the conditions were amended. The BZA approved the request subject to twenty (20) conditions.