Community remains split on Sand Lake Hills synagogue

Orange County zoning officials held a second community meeting Tuesday, Dec. 10, to continue the dialogue on a special-exemption request by the Orlando Torah Center. The meeting, held at Olympia High School, again entertained a full house, and many residents present at the first meeting, held Wednesday, Nov. 20, returned for their chance to speak.

The Jewish synagogue bought the home at 8613 Banyan Blvd., Orlando, in 2014, acquired a special exception to operate out of the former one-story residence in the Sand Lake Hills subdivision in 2020 and now wants to remodel the house-turned-religious-institution to accommodate a three-story building. The roughly .75-acre property is zoned R-1A single-family residential.

The expansion would add 9,376 square feet to the existing building; however, both presented elevations propose a new building — one with a more contemporary look and the other that would match the surrounding Sand Lake Hills homes.

The applicant, Derek Bruce, was present at the meeting and answered a few questions but did not give a presentation.

Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson asked speakers to limit their comments to three minutes to allow everyone time at the microphone. People spoke both for and against the special-exception request.

“I appreciate your attention, your attention and … your kindness,” she told folks at the meeting.

At the previous meeting, one man was escorted out after becoming belligerent.

Voices were raised at times, and one man accused residents of being anti-Semitic because they didn’t want a Jewish religious institution in their neighborhood.

A Sand Lake Hills resident was worried the structure would eventually house a religious school, but Bruce said the Orlando Torah Center would have to initiate a second request to use the building for educational purposes.

Another speaker said she moved to the subdivision in 2021 with her husband and children.

“Orlando Torah Center is simply not big enough,” she said. “It’s not a request out of luxury but out of necessity. … It does help that the (center) is very much out of the way; it’s in the far west side of the neighborhood. … So much of what we do revolves around walking; our congregants walk and do not drive on (the Sabbath). It’s a place to gather and pray. … It, too, will feel like it’s always been there. We really need this as it serves an important role in our community.”

Others in the Jewish community agreed the expansion is a much-needed addition.

A resident asked why the building needed to be three stories.

“One of the aspects of religious services for members of Orlando Torah Center is fellowship beyond the specific religious services, (and it gives members) places to retire to outside of the services,” Bruce said.

Another resident asked if the bedrooms would be used as sleeping accommodations for OTC guests visiting Orlando.

“The intention is not to have those as sleeping quarters or bedrooms for guests,” Bruce said. “This is a residential neighborhood, and it has an R-1 zoning, so there’s nothing that prevents them from using it in a residential way, but that’s not the intention.”

One speaker said Orange County is full of synagogues and all of them are on major roads and not in a neighborhood.

“My experience with the Jewish community is that they’re inclusive, generous and not harmful at all,” one man said. “I can’t help believe that whether it’s conscious or subconscious, a lot of this conversation is rooted in anti-Semitism.”

Wilson responded immediately: “Remember, we’re all neighbors. … I know my neighbors and my community, and I wholeheartedly disagree with that.”

A member of OTC who moved to Sand Lake Hills with her husband and three children said it wasn’t about finding a synagogue but finding a community.

“Since moving here, I’ve come to realize just how much Orlando Torah Center enriches my life and the neighborhood,” she said. “It is housed in a makeshift space. I believe this project will enhance the community in multiple ways.”

One man responded: “This is a deed-restricted community. The deeds on these houses state they cannot be used as a commercial property. This would be the biggest house in the community. Aesthetics don’t keep it like the rest of the neighborhood. … They’re putting in what looks like an office building in the neighborhood.”

A Sand Lake Hills resident offered a challenge: “In this polarized part of our nation now, we spend a great deal of time getting angry with people who don’t agree or get us where we want to to go. I want to challenge us all in this room, as we have this place that we want to stand, that we, first and foremost, lead in love. We don’t have to agree, but we have to lead in love.

“I don’t think it’s opportunist for us to have a commercial building in Sand Lake Hills, but it doesn’t have to do with the people … it has to do with the operations in the community.

If you don’t hear anything else from here, always lead with love.”

Another man responded: “What we’re talking about is a residential lot in a residential subdivision that’s being used for commercial.”

The Orange County Board of Zoning Adjustment BZA will hear the special request at its Feb. 6 meeting, followed by an appearance at the Orange County Board of County Commissioners at its Feb. 25 meeting.