WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – After extensive debate, a church has received approval to build in the Lake Avalon Rural Settlement (LARS), a decision that comes after strong and often divided community input.
The Orange County Commission voted 5–2 to approve Discovery Church’s request for a special exception to construct a religious facility along McKinney Road in the LARS. While the proposal was approved, commissioners reduced the size from of the square footage from roughly 45,000 square feet 42,000 square feet.
The project has drawn both support and concern from residents who say the rural character of their community is at stake. Art Slow is has been in the community for years says he doesn’t have an issue with the church itself but it’s size, the board members who approved it and what that could mean for protecting rural settlements in the future…