County BZA denies Lake Avalon RV park

After more than an hour of discussion, the Orange County Board of Zoning Adjustment at its Thursday, Sept. 5, meeting voted to deny an applicant's request to build a 249-site RV park in the Lake Avalon Rural Settlement.

The BZA consists of seven board members who are appointed by each district commissioner and an at-large member appointed by the mayor. The BZA makes recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners on variances, special exceptions and appeals of the zoning manager’s determination.

Rex Groves LLLP was requesting to build the RV park in the LARS area off Avalon Road near the Hamlin Town Center.

The 84.6-acre property is located at 5872 Rex Drive, Winter Garden, which is on the west side of Rex Drive, north of McKinney Road, southwest of Cork Street and east of the Lake County boundary line.

The property is zoned Citrus Rural District, and its Future Land Use is Rural Settlement.

The applicant was requesting a special exception, which is required for RV parks and campgrounds, and three variances within the zoning district.

In addition to needing a special exception, applicants must comply with additional code standards in the zoning code, specific to RV parks and campgrounds. A traffic study is required to be submitted as part of the request.

The county transportation planning division reviewed the traffic study and indicated the proposal would generate about 884 new daily trips. There would be three roads in the area that would be under the level of service capacity if the proposal was approved. 

Planning division staff noted the proposed development was inconsistent with the LARS policies, which state the scale, intensity and types of commercial and office uses must be compatible with the existing rural development pattern of the Lake Avalon area. 

In addition, Orange County staff mailed out more than 300 notices to adjacent property owners in a 3,000-foot radius of the project. Staff received three correspondences in favor of the request and 300 in opposition. 

Staff recommended the denial of the project prior to the BZA meeting.

MEETING ANALYSIS

If the request had been approved by the BZA, the proposal would have then been heard by the BCC at a future date. 

However, since the project was denied, the applicant can choose either to revise the proposal and attempt to bring it back forward or sell the land to someone else for a new project. 

Laurie Forrester and Art Slowe, both representing the Avalon Home and Property Owners Association, spoke at the meeting in approval of the request. The pair said the organization found the applicants to be receptive to the concerns of the Lake Avalon community.  

"We have an opportunity here to preserve the last functioning grove in the rural settlement," Slowe said. "We have the opportunity to keep over 70% of this parcel in tree cover for cooling, for reclamation of water, for protection of wildlife. We have the opportunity to keep the sight lines in the area essentially unchanged ... sheltered within the trees, you will not see this facility. ... We're looking at preserving what we have to the best of our ability. Development is coming. We recognize that. We're forced to accept that there's going to be a change from completely wild land to some use. As a board, we've looked at this use and evaluated it as a reasonable compromise that preserves our area, protects our environment and keeps us rural."

However, most of the public comment received during the meeting was in opposition to the proposal, due to it not aligning with the comprehensive plan. 

"I have to admit that I am flummoxed," BZA chair Deborah Moskowitz said. "I have to applaud the applicant. The plan is beautiful, and I think that it is a unique plan for this type of property. ... I understand where the (Lake Avalon) board was coming from and that they were trying to do the best they could to protect ... but I also read every one of the 300-plus emails that were sent to me, and I understand the concerns. ... While the project itself would not necessarily impact the character of the area appearance-wise, I fear that having 249 families coming in and rolling out to go to the theme parks on a roadway that's already failing is definitely going to have a severe impact. ... I'm very torn."

Moskowitz made a motion for denial of the project, and the motion was approved with no opposition from other present members. 

COMMUNITY MEETING

Orange County's zoning division hosted a community meeting to discuss the proposal in July, where applicant Robert Ziegenfuss, represented by Old Florida Groves leaders Preston Hage and Jake Schrimsher, explained the proposal for the site with myriad amenities, including a clubhouse with a pool and amenity facility, event barn, a museum and discovery center, and a farm core area.

At the meeting, Hage and Schrimsher said they met with District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson and representatives from the LARS and Avalon Home and Property Owners Association several times prior to the community meeting.

Old Florida Groves’ vision is to provide a world-class, immersive agri-tourism campground that allows guests to experience and learn about Florida agriculture from past, present and into the future.

Hage and Schrimsher said they want to conserve and preserve the property as much as possible, and the 40-acre citrus grove would remain on the front of the property.

Residents at the meeting appeared to be largely opposed to the proposed project, citing its location near a water treatment plant and concrete yard, as well as its incompatibility with the rural settlement.

However, some saw potential benefits, including accommodation for high-ends RVs and increased local spending.

Following the meeting, the proposal for 277 RV sites was dropped down to 249 by the applicant. 

“We’ve owned this since 2021, and we’ve been trying to find a plan that’s good for the environment, that’s good for the community, that works for our guests and works for our ownership,” Schrimsher said. “We’ve been working hard to find a win-win for everyone, and we mean that.”

Read the full story on the July community meeting here.