Avalon residents oppose special-needs facility in neighborhood

What began as a seemingly simple Orange County community meeting for a Future Land-Use Map amendment and a rezoning Thursday, May 30, turned into a shouting match for some residents of the Lake Avalon Rural Settlement who say they are fighting for their community’s rights as they were intended.

Special Hearts Farm — a nonprofit organization that provides life skills in agriculture and agribusiness to adults with special needs — hopes to set up a larger farm space and build a cluster of small residential care cottages on property located in a protected area off Avalon Road in unincorporated Winter Garden.

To do so, Orange County would have to change the FLUM from Rural Settlement to Institutional and rezone the land from Citrus Rural District to Planned Development District. The full 18 acres would be rezoned, but only 10 acres at the back of the site would be amended to reflect the Institutional designation so up to 30 Special Hearts participants could live on the farm.

Residents fear this would set a precedent that would allow other institutional development, such as nursing homes, into their rural area.

“We didn’t come here for you to talk us into this,” said Barbara Mansfield, who lives in the rural settlement. “We are here as a group to show you we don’t support this at all. … We are here to show you we do not support this in our neighborhood.”

Rural settlements call for one dwelling unit for every five acres, meaning the applicant, Jim Hall, of Hall Development Services, could have three units on the land. A single-family home and a barn already occupy the property.

Kathy Meena and Jennifer Elliott founded Special Hearts Farm off Ninth Street in Winter Garden about six years ago. The organization has outgrown its space at the former Maxey Elementary School property.

A MEANINGFUL DAY
“Our goal is to be a great neighbor to you, a special, bright neighbor,” Meena said. “We have a lot of animals, they all have names, and they are very well cared for. We also train our individuals in farming and to make (items to sell such as) goat milk soap and soy candles. We train them to have a meaningful day. When we wake up, we all want to have a day where we feel meaningful. They deserve that, too.

“I’m sure most of you know someone with special needs,” Meena said. “I’m the mother of one. As the mother, this is really important that all of us try to get something for these individuals because a lot of them, they wouldn’t have that opportunity if it wasn’t for us.

“We’ll be great neighbors,” she said. “We’ll be quiet. Most of our kids have autism, and they don’t like noise. We want to bring you guys in who are farmers to help our adults do it better. We want to be able to market your products. There’s a lot of things we want to do to co-op with you guys. We hope and pray you guys will want to partner with us.”

The original request was for a 25,000-square-foot training facility, a 5,000-square-foot event barn to be used for a farmers market and petting zoo, and overnight housing for 50 adults in the program. The applicant decreased the sizes of the training facility and event barn to 15,000 and 3,500 square feet, respectively, and lessened the number of overnight residents to 30.

Avalon residents expressed concerns about traffic, other institutions submitting applications and the applicant increasing the numbers once he received approval.

The participants in Special Hearts Farm do not drive, so most of the traffic would be generated by employees, property attorney Rick Geller said.

Hall stressed Special Hearts Farm would be coming in as Institutional with an agricultural component, something nursing homes wouldn’t have, so that type of institution would not qualify to operate in the rural settlement. Hall also said if he wanted to change any numbers after approval, he would have to go through the entire process again, something he said he’s not willing to do.

‘DOESN’T FIT IN MY COMMUNITY’
Many rural settlement residents who attended last week’s meeting stood to share their thoughts on the issue.

Estella Baker said her husband has a sister with special needs and his mother started a community similar to Special Hearts Farm in the 1970s.

“I know what it takes to have that institution in that setting,” Baker said. “I worked it, I was there; she’s still there, and she’s in her 70s. I know how close you get to the children in there. It just doesn’t fit in my community right now.”

Lori Weiner said she has people she cares about with special needs.

“They have nothing to do with our concerns,” Weiner said. “It’s about density, it’s the amount of usage, of utilities we don’t have. … This institution does not belong in the rural settlement.”

Chap Lewis has lived in the Lake Avalon Rural Settlement for 44 years.

“I’ve seen many years of growth,” he said. “We can’t stop growth. Our task is to challenge. That was the consensus when we established the rural settlement. Now you want to circumvent the rules, or you wouldn’t be here. … What you’re asking for is a … social experiment, if you will. Our rules don’t condone a social venture such as this.”

Lisa Schmidt, a parent of two children with disabilities, pleaded with Avalon residents to work with Special Hearts Farm.

“My whole life I have been worried about their future and what kind of future they would be living,” Schmidt said. “They weren’t gifted with the intelligence of your children, but they have a right to work. They are hard workers, they have a right to live, they are God’s children. They have a right to live in a community that will embrace them and give them opportunities to (thrive) in life.

“Please come visit us at the Special Hearts Farm so you can understand what these young farmers look like and their enthusiasm and what they are learning,” she said. “When you say, ‘those people,’ you’re talking about my children.”

“My son goes to the farm,” Winter Garden resident Henry Wright said. “I can’t find a place like this in the state of Florida. You have your rights, but remember, this is somebody’s kid you’re talking about. … Please just remember when we’re talking about these people that were created by God Himself, we would appreciate (respect).”

Laurie Forrester replied that she took care of a sister with special needs for 34 years.

“We are not against the purpose and the mission of the Special Hearts Farm,” she said. “We are agricultural.”

Forrester invited the organization to bring its animals and plant fruits and vegetables.

“This is something we would embrace, the agricultural use,” she said. “When it starts to take this to an Institutional zoning, and we have two nursing homes who are waiting to come in, this sets a precedent moving forward.

“This will become a Nursing Home/Assisted Living Residential Settlement,” she said.

“We welcome what you have in Winter Garden here, but we have to protect the integrity of the rural settlement from people constantly coming to change the FLUM of our parcels here,” Forrester said. “I’m tired of working 1,500 hours since Jan. 1 to protect our rural settlement against this. I’m a volunteer working on intrusions into our rural settlement that, once these things happen and set a precedent — we will constantly fight it.”

A HEART TO ADVOCATE
Meena said she was shocked to hear some of the residents’ comments.

“I live in Gotha, and I’ve been to some of these meetings,” she said. “I’m saddened by some of the comments. … I feel our project is positive and not only a positive shining star for the rural community, but a shining star for Orange County and the state of Florida. I’m hopeful that their hearts will be opened. … I just feel like there is a compromise and there is a path that could please both sides.

“God gave me Cameron 28 years ago,” Meena said. “When He gave me a child with special needs, He gave me a heart to advocate. They’re people, and that’s what I tried to tell people last night. … They have a disability, but they are people just like us.”

She said the nonprofit will continue going through the process with the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. A Local Planning Agency meeting and public hearing are scheduled for mid-July before the LPA makes its recommendation to the BCC.