Special Hearts Farm project receives final approval

Editor’s note: County Level is a monthly feature that highlights the most impactful actions taken by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners.

District 1, led by Commissioner Nicole Wilson, encompasses the following areas: Avalon Rural Settlement, Dr. Phillips, Gotha, Horizon West, Hunter’s Creek, Lake Buena Vista, Metrowest, Ocoee, Tildenville, town of Oakland, Williamsburg, town of Windermere and Winter Garden.

District 1 is the largest and fastest growing district in Orange County. Made of quiet, historic towns and bustling new development, it is a unique hybrid of classic and contemporary Florida living.

OCTOBER BCC RECAP

The approval of the Special Hearts Farm Planned Development project led Orange County Board of County Commissioners actions at their October meetings. Several other decisions also were made that impact West Orange and Southwest Orange.

SPECIAL HEARTS FARM

At its Oct. 29 meeting, the County Commission approved unanimously the Special Hearts Planned Development project in the Lake Avalon Rural Settlement. 

The project has been a strong point of contention since the initial community meeting held in May. 

The residents of the rural settlement say they’re fighting for their community’s rights as they were intended. Representatives and families of Special Hearts — which provides life skills in agriculture and agribusiness to adults with special needs — say the location is perfect. The nonprofit organization 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.

The project moved one step further in the approval process following a second community meeting Sept. 18 and a county Planning & Zoning Commission meeting Sept. 19.

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

The 18.26-acre subject property is located at 4151 Avalon Road, which is in the rural settlement at the northeast corner of Avalon and Dangler roads. 

For Special Hearts to have its new project approved, Orange County would have to change the Future Land Use Map designation 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.

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.

At all of the community meetings, rural settlement residents expressed fear the project would set a precedent that would allow other Institutional development, such as nursing homes, into the area. Concerns for traffic, other institutions submitting applications and the applicant increasing the numbers requested if approved also were voiced.

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.

In addition to the already 19 conditions of approval, county staff said eight additional conditions were added following a meeting Oct. 23 with the applicant and District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson to better address concerns. 

At the BCC meeting, 26 people signed up to speak. 

“The Special Hearts Farm has gone above and beyond by making multiple compromises with the Avalon community,” Meena said. “I would like to remind everyone that helping individuals with disabilities should never be political, and Special Hearts Farm continues to make a positive impact throughout our community. I am asking for your support of our project, because it will serve as a bright star for Orange County, the state of Florida and serves our most vulnerable population. … Please vote yes and help us be the change.”

Laurie Forrester, president of the Lake Avalon Rural Settlement and Avalon Home and Property Owners Association, said she met with the applicant team on at least six different occasions to try and find a solution that worked for all involved parties. 

“During that time, we made sure that they knew and understood that we were very good with the agricultural portions of this project and how important it was, and we agreed to provide individuals with a meaningful and productive day for their participants,” she said. “They continually stated that they wanted to be good neighbors to us, and so we continued to see if we could find common ground in regards to the facilities that required Future Land Use and zoning changes that would be beneficial to both us and Special Hearts, but we soon came to realize that they really didn’t have an interest in making these concessions or modifications due to the aspects of their project that needed the changes.

“Our community has been damaged and vilified by having a half-truth in what has been communicated. … They are not telling the other half of the story,” she said. “Special Hearts has created their dream, but their dream disregards, dismisses and comes at the expense of the dreams of those residents that live in this rural settlement and the promised commitment to our rural settlement for the future integrity of our county ordinance.”

Several Special Hearts participants spoke during the meeting asking for the board’s approval of the project, as well as Winter Garden Commissioner Chloe Johnson. 

Wilson made a motion for approval with 25 of the discussed conditions. 

Read the Observer’s most recent story on the project here.

DISNEY AFFORDABLE-HOUSING PROJECT

Despite objections from the Horizon West community, Walt Disney World received the final approval needed to move forward with its affordable-housing project at the BCC meeting Oct. 8.

After nearly two hours of discussion and an abundance of public comment, commissioners approved the project 6-1, with Wilson dissenting. 

Wilson urged the board to postpone the decision, arguing it was unfair to ask residents in the community to choose between preparing for the approaching Hurricane Milton and driving about 30 miles to downtown Orlando to have their voices heard. She said the majority of people who spoke in support of the project did not live in the Horizon West area. 

Read the Observer’s full story on the approval here.

REAMS ROAD DEVELOPMENT HALT

Wilson also gave a commissioner’s report in which she discussed the flooding and infrastructure issues on Reams and Ficquette roads in the Horizon West area at the Oct. 29 BCC meeting. 

Following hurricanes Ian and Milton, Wilson said there have been significant and persistent flooding problems in the area. She said the Public Works Department did everything in their power to try to prevent the issues. 

“This critical roadway serves as a primary access point for residents of Horizon West and surrounding areas, yet it is increasingly unsafe, especially during heavy rainfall and tropical storm events,” Wilson said in a memo to the board prior to the meeting. “The flooding issue stems largely from the surrounding conservation wetlands and Lake Hancock, which are hydrologically connected. The northwest lane, where Reams Road turns into Summerlake Park Boulevard, is directly impacted by the wetland adjacent to Lake Hancock. The elevation and constant water flow from the lake have overwhelmed the roadway, causing consistent and dangerous flooding. 

“Similarly, the northeast side of the intersection is inundated by runoff from another large wetland, which has reached max saturation levels,” she said. “Approval for development in the Lake Reams Basin occurred under conservation impact permits that allowed construction in these wetlands in 2019-2020. The long-term impact of these decisions (is) now apparent. These developments are failing to keep their runoff onsite. Our retention ponds, intended to manage runoff and protect roadways, are failing to perform as needed.”

Wilson urged the board to prioritize the Reams Road expansion project to relieve congestion and improve infrastructure resiliency. She said it’s essential the county allow Public Works experts to identify long-term flood mitigation strategies that address the immediate problem, as well as future growth in Horizon West. 

“Although Public Works is in the process of securing right-of-way acquisitions to facilitate the expansion, progress has been slow,” she said. “Construction is expected to begin in the summer of 2025.”

Given the ongoing safety risks, Wilson also asked the board to consider a temporary suspension of comprehensive plan text and map amendments, rezonings, and special exceptions in the affected area. 

“This would provide Public Works with the necessary time to implement permanent solutions to the flooding problem, to review and upgrade the design of retention ponds to ensure proper runoff, and complete the long-awaited road expansion without the pressure of new developments exacerbating these issues,” she said. 

A work session to further discuss the requests is planned for Jan. 7, 2025. County staff has been directed to collect the information needed in order to discuss pausing development in the area.