Longwood Church Expansion Plan Sparks Neighbor Concerns Over Traffic, Safety

LifePoint Christian Church's proposal to expand its Longwood campus by nearly 2.5 acres cleared an initial county review last week, but not before more than 400 families in surrounding neighborhoods showed up to push back on a plan they say could choke off already strained roads near East Williamson Road and Myrtle Lake Hills Road.

The non-denominational congregation, which has operated at 1470 Myrtle Lake Hills Road since purchasing the property in 2013, is seeking to build a new, larger sanctuary along with additional parking and support facilities to accommodate what church leaders describe as steadily increasing attendance. Church leaders maintained during the review process that the expansion would not substantially increase traffic, pointing to the limited scope and schedule of current on-site activities, including a part-time homeschool program that meets only a few days per week and is not projected to grow.

Neighbors who turned out for Seminole County planning meetings in late March rejected that framing. Residents from the more than 400 households in adjacent single-family neighborhoods argued that the intersection of East Williamson Road and Myrtle Lake Hills Road already struggles during peak hours, and that adding worship-day vehicle surges could block emergency access into the area. Some acknowledged the congregation's need to grow but pressed for stricter mitigation conditions before any permit moves forward.

Seminole County planners moved ahead with approvals in the days following the initial meetings, though the proposal still faces scrutiny at an upcoming Planning and Zoning meeting where both supporters and opponents are expected to weigh in again. Standard conditions for projects adjacent to residential zones in Seminole County typically include formal traffic studies, ingress and egress improvements, and landscaping buffers, all of which remain on the table as the review continues.

The dispute reflects a long-running tension in Longwood, a bedroom community where a single road serving a subdivision can absorb only so many additional daily trips before quality of life measurably deteriorates. With State Road 434 already a pressure point for Seminole County commuters, what happens at the corner of East Williamson and Myrtle Lake Hills Road carries weight well beyond the church property line.