Orlando Torah Center project draws community’s ire

Orange County staff presented a request for a special exception at a community meeting held Nov. 20 at Southwest Middle School, and some residents resorted to shouting their opinions during the presentation. One man became so belligerent he was escorted out of the meeting.

“Remember, No. 1, that we’re all neighbors,” said Nicole Wilson, Orange County District 1 commissioner. “Civility is the most important part of the process … showing each other respect.”

Wilson said she was impressed with the attendance numbers — it was standing-room-only in the media center.

“Thank you for being here,” she said. “This is why I love my job. Because people care, and they come out, and they want to engage.”

Tensions were high for most of the hour-long meeting, in which Derek Bruce, the applicant, discussed his request to expand the Orlando Torah Center, located at 8613 Banyan Blvd., Orlando, and to reduce the number of required parking spaces. He is seeking a special exception to the R-1A single-family residential zoning district so he can construct a three-story synagogue with meeting space on all three floors. The county code calls for 53 required parking spaces; Bruce is asking to provide 35.

The roughly .75-acre property is in the Sand Lake Hills residential neighborhood and is located on the north side of Banyan, east of South Apopka-Vineland Road, south of Edge O Woods Court and west of Marlberry Drive.

The center purchased the home in 2014 and has made significant repairs. In 2020, Orange County granted a special-exception request for the OTC to operate in the former residence.

The synagogue has been operating out of an existing 2,676-square-foot, single-family home that previously was approved for use as a religious institution with grass parking.

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 existing Sand Lake Hills homes.

Bruce explained why the center wants to expand at this location.

“It goes back to Jewish law — Halacha,” he said. “Orlando Torah Center wants to be a good neighbor.”

Halacha is the body of Jewish religious laws and principles that govern Jewish life. It includes laws for daily activities, religious practices and ethical behavior.

A member of OTC spoke passionately about the synagogue.

“Almost five years ago we moved to Sand Lake Hills; Orlando Torah Center has been central to our family,” she said. “Our family members attend multiple prayer services throughout the week. … On the Sabbath, we spend a significant number of hours at the synagogue and can’t drive …

As neighbors in the Sand Lake Hills community, we desire to be respectful.”

Another woman who is a member of the OTC spoke as well.

“I have lived in Sand Lake Hills for 10 years, and I attend Orlando Torah Center,” she said. “The Jewish members in our community are kind, educated, hardworking individuals who value Jewish traditions and family life. The (center) offers us a place to hold services and gather together to celebrate our heritage and traditions. We are Sabbath observant and, therefore, cannot drive to synagogue on Sabbath and other holidays — so it is vital to be within walking distance to our synagogue.

“Every Sabbath, my family and I walk to different synagogue (activities), passing many of your homes,” she said. “Along the way, we have made friends with many of you. … Our synagogue gives us the space to properly practice our religion and does not negate any of these goals. … It enhances these shared values. I’m hopeful the Orlando Torah Center will be approved.”

Rabbi Menachem Zev Kramer addressed the audience and said it was an honor and a privilege to stand before the crowd.

“To me, community doesn’t just mean … the prices of the houses in the community, the infrastructure of the community,” he said. “To me, community refers to people. There (are) a lot of people in this community, and a lot of people who associate with Orlando Torah Center. … Let’s be neighborly. We can do this together. … (It’s) an institute of faith. … (Let’s) come together and enhance.

“We’re happy to have the opportunity for growth … for children to find their faith, to find … that community,” Kramer said. “That’s what this building is all about. … It’s a home for the spirit. And that’s where we all can thrive, where we can strive and yearn to be better people.”

But not all attendees were in favor of the project. A change.org petition has close to 1,000 signatures to recommend denial of the special-exception request.

One Sand Lake Hills resident spoke to the applicant and synagogue members.

“We welcome all of you into our neighborhood,” she said. “I have no issue having you as a neighbor. We just don’t want to have a business in our neighborhood. I’m not even allowed to have a poster or a sign on my car for my business.”

Another speaker, a two-time past president of a Jewish congregation, said he lived in Sand Lake Hills for 20 years and understands the importance of the OTC.

“I’m also a civil engineer … I’m here to explain why this application for special exception should be denied. It has nothing to do with Judaism.”

He said the applicant is seeking to enhance the structure so it looks similar “to the other nine non-residentials” in Sand Lake Hills.

“There are no businesses in Sand Lake Hills,” he said. “You have to drive at least a mile away to find a three-story building at Wallace (Road) and Dr. Phillips Boulevard. The learning center is a Dr. Phillips Charity. The school is owned by (Orange County Public Schools) and not in Sand Lake Hills.”

One speaker said he feared if OTC leaves the property in the future, the three-story building will become something like a medical center.

“There are people on the borders of your property who bought their homes in the 1980s who never expected to have a three-story brick wall,” one person said.

A man who has lived in Sand Lake Hills for 28 years said he moved there because it was a quiet neighborhood.

“This opens up a Pandora box because what we will do for the Jewish community, which I understand your needs and desires, but we also must do this for other desires,” he said. “If a Muslim wants to open something for Muslims, then we must accommodate. What we do for one has to be done for all, and that’s going to be the problem here, and, unfortunately, it will change the dynamic of this quiet neighborhood.

“I think we need to find a way to live in peace and support one another but also understand how we feel about our neighborhood and why we moved here,” the resident said.

Others in attendance said the traffic in and around Sand Lake Hills has increased drastically. One man said there is plenty of space on Apopka-Vineland Road to put the center. Another resident noted there is no water retention on the property and the runoff will drain to the northwest and into the backyards of the homes there.

Many other attendees were in line to speak for or against the project, but the meeting already had run more than an hour.

A second community meeting will be announced in the near future

Bruce said the case will go before the Orange County Board of Zoning Adjustment Jan. 2 and before the Orange County Board of County Commissioners Jan. 28, 2025.

Anyone with questions can reach out to case planner Tiffany Chen at (407) 836-5549 or [email protected] or Wilson at [email protected].