Oviedo seminary housing plan delayed for talks with neighbors

Neighbors around Long Lake won more time to press their case against Reformed Theological Seminary’s housing plan, after Oviedo’s Local Planning Agency agreed to continue the proposal instead of advancing it immediately. The fight now centers on what could change on the Kingsbridge land, from traffic and density to drainage, buffering and the precedent it could set for nearby parcels.

The proposal, Ordinance No. 1766, would amend zoning rules for about 63.16 acres on the west side of Eastridge Drive and north of East Mitchell Hammock Road. Under the plan, the seminary could add as many as 163 student beds and two residential units on the RTS Orlando campus, a major change for property that has operated under flexible-use zoning dating back to 1995. That earlier zoning allowed limited dormitory-style housing, even though the land had previously been able to support up to 120 multifamily units.

Public comments at the hearing made clear that the neighborhood fight is about much more than campus space. Residents raised concerns about stormwater drainage, possible obstruction of lake views, conservation of wetlands, fencing compliance and whether pedestrians would be left using a private road as a bypass between East Mitchell Hammock Road and East Kingsbridge. One resident pushed for a sidewalk along Reformation Drive so walkers and bicyclists would have a safer route.

Seminary representatives told the board they did not want to create a major impact and said the proposal was a limited change focused on the dormitory definition rather than a sweeping redevelopment. The continuance gives the school and Kingsbridge residents, along with homeowners’ associations, more time to talk before the application moves forward.

Reformed Theological Seminary says its Orlando campus opened in Maitland in 1989 as the first accredited Protestant seminary in Florida and moved to Oviedo in 1999. The campus sits on 65 acres of a former orange grove on Long Lake, is home to the largest theological library in the state, and has conferred more than 1,800 degrees. The school renamed the campus the David H. Lucas Campus in 2018.

The city’s public notices later listed the case as 25-0166-PUD/ZMA Reformed Theological Seminary Amendment, with a May 26 Local Planning Agency date and a June 15 City Council date. Oviedo’s planning board handles comprehensive plan amendments, zoning map amendments, special exceptions and planned unit developments, and city staff evaluate whether proposals are supported by infrastructure and basic services. That scrutiny has sharpened in Oviedo after an earlier 2025 land-use fight near 419 and Lockwood, where Mayor Megan Sladek said the city faced a vested-rights dispute and later a $4 million payout after litigation.