CC Minutes 05/10/2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Orlando Sentinel h~;tp://~y-ww.~r~a~-d~s.e-n.t-ine-~-n~ws[~M-~-am~ex~ ~-5.~ ~`~m~7 ~ ~22~66~ Casselberry may consider annexation The 400 acres near Lake Howell include a parcel that would be the city's largest undeveloped property. By Robert Perez Sentinel Staff Writer May t 0, 2004 Casselberry city commissioners are expected today to consider armexing 400 acres near Lake Howell, including a parcel that would become the city's largest undeveloped piece of property. But the parcel's owner, the Catholic Diocese of Orlando, has no immediate plans to change the pristine tract from its longtime use as a retreat. Even if commissioners approve the annexation, a majority of the residents in the annexation area would have to approve it as well. Under state rules, a special referendum must be held within 30 days of the City Commission's final approval. That election would be July 13. Any registered voter living in the area within 30 days of the election would be eligible to vote, said Dick Wells, Casselberry's community development director. The annexation area, generally bounded by Howell Branch Road on the south and Lake Howell on the north, Dike Road on the east and Lake Ann on the west, contains four homes and an undeveloped residential parcel. But the diocese property makes up the vast majority of the land, Wells said. The ret~reat itself, known as the San Pedro Center, uses about 75 acres and has a small cemetery on the site, Wells said. The retreat is a diocese ministry that provides an environment for learning and spiritual development. It includes a youth facility that has a dormitory and hall and an adult section that includes meeting rooms and a lecture hall. · About a year ago, Bishop Norbert Dorsey appointed a committee to review the center for preservation and plan for its future, according to a diocese spokeswoman. During that review, the comm/ttee found that some of the retreat buildings would soon need to be replaced. It also discovered the property was never properly zoned for a retreat, said Robert Gardner, a member of the committee. The committee recommended correcting the zoning and land-use designations, especially if buildings were going to be replaced, Gardner said. After discussions with planners in Seminole County and Casselberry, Gardner recommended annexing the property into the city. http //w~ ~r~and~sentine~.c~m/news/~r~-~cannex~5 ~4may~5865~1~print.st~ry 5/10/2004