Orange County — Board of Zoning Adjustment

SE-04-01-101 — Maranatha Baptist Church

Request: Special Exception in R-1A (single family-7,500 sq. ft. lots) zone for religious use facility and Variance for unpaved parking in lieu of paved. (NOTE: The religious use facility will accommodate up to 114 members. In addition, a total of 45 parking spaces are proposed).

Decision: Approved

Hearing: The Staff Report and Recommendation is located on Pages______ The applicant wants to convert an existing single-family residence into a religious use facility and a variance for (45) grassed parking spaces in lieu of paved. The congregation currently maintains 50 members but is proposing up to 114 members total. Staff voiced concerns regarding the access from Powers Drive and recommended the driveway be redesigned to accommodate two-way traffic in lieu of one-way and existing signage on site be removed because it did not meet the Orange County Code. Discussion was held among staff and the board members regarding outdoor activities and noise generated by any sound devices. Though the site is 3.6 acres and large enough to accommodate the proposed use and all on-site development standards, an additional condition was imposed to address this issue. The board did inform the applicant that any future expansion would require BZA approval. There was no opposition to this request.