ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orthodox Jewish congregation in Dr. Phillips has filed a federal lawsuit against Orange County leaders after they blocked the construction of a new synagogue.
The Orlando Torah Center (OTC) on Banyan Boulevard has been locked in a battle with neighbors since last year when congregants proposed replacing their existing 1,600 square foot home-turned-synagogue with a three-story, 12,000 square foot worship space and event center.
Congregants said the space would allow them room to grow as their numbers expanded and provide space for children’s services. Neighbors, though, were less than pleased since the property is surrounded by a subdivision, and only slightly larger than the other parcels.
“A three-story building in this subdivision just doesn’t fit,” Nancy Goodwin said.
OTC viewed the location as a plus. Orthodox Jews are not supposed to drive on the Sabbath, including to and from worship. Many of them walk from their nearby homes.
Because of that, the congregants asked the county to waive its parking requirements. The county’s minimum, based on the capacity of the structure, was 52 spaces. The congregation wanted the number reduced to 35.
Neighbors cited the other days of the week, displaying pictures of a filled parking lot before the commissioners formally voted the project down during their July 1 hearing.
Commissioner Nicole Wilson, who is Jewish, scoffed at the discrimination accusation and said she worked hard to try to find a compromise.
Ultimately, she said the site was just not big enough to accommodate what OTC wanted.
In their suit, OTC’s attorneys said Christian churches and daycares were allowed to operate on the other side of the subdivision. However, the examples they provided were for parcels between 8,000 and 9,000 square feet, three times bigger than OTC’s lot.
“My clients were willing to agree to any reasonable conditions that could have mitigated any potential impacts on the community, but they were denied outright,” Attorney Roman Storzer said. “It doesn’t make sense for them to locate 2, 3, 4, 5, miles away… You wouldn’t tell somebody who’s disabled to just walk a couple of miles up extremely busy and dangerous streets to get to their place of worship.”
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