Orange County OKs revised Discovery Church plan with smaller building, conservation commitments

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved a revised special‑exception request on March 24 for a new Discovery Church sanctuary on a nearly 20‑acre parcel in the Lake Avalon rural settlement after a long public hearing that split neighbors and church supporters.

Planning staff had recommended approval with conditions for a one‑story religious institution, a mix of paved and grass parking and large perimeter buffers. Neighbors opposed the proposal as too large for a low‑density rural settlement, saying traffic, light and noise would alter the community’s character. Church organizers said they had redesigned the project after earlier denials, preserving a wooded karst feature, adding a native tree nursery and proposing to dedicate roughly 15 acres of the site as permanent open space.

Commission debate was extensive. Commissioners weighed the revised elevations, reduced impervious area and larger buffer strips against persistent opposition about scale. After amendments and discussion, the board approved a modified special exception that capped the total building size at 42,000 square feet (reduced from an original 45,934 sq ft) and required expanded landscaping buffers and conservation commitments to protect the hardwood stand on the property. The motion passed 5–2.

Staff said the approved conditions include final site‑plan compliance, limits on outdoor special events, compliance with noise and dark‑sky standards, required wheel stops for grass parking stalls and the requirement that the number of fixed seats in the sanctuary not exceed the approved cap. County staff will require building permits and environmental safeguards before any construction. The applicant said it will work with county staff to place conservation language or easement instruments covering the preserved areas.

The approval drew mixed reaction from musicians, pastors and area residents: some praised the revised design and the church’s local involvement, while others warned the approval could set a precedent for similar large facilities in rural settlements. The board did not alter the county’s rural‑settlement land‑use designation; this decision applies only to the requested special exception under the A1 zoning rules.

The church and several residents are expected to continue collaboration during the permitting process to finalize landscape and conservation detail.