OCALA, FL (352today.com) – A number of consent items are on the agenda for the Marion County Board of County Commissioners meeting Aug. 19 at 2 p.m. at the McPherson Governmental Campus Auditorium.

One of those items under consideration is for a special use permit in establishing a kindergarten through Fifth grade private school on a church campus. This will be the final action on the request.

The school would operate with a maximum of 12o students. The owner is Wings of Faith Church, and the applicant who filed for the special use permit is Pastor Rocky Schrable.

The size of the parcel is 4.10 acres, and the site in question is located at 5066 SE 64th Ave, Rd. The property is currently zoned for single family dwelling and is in the primary springs protection zone.

Marion County staff and the planning and zoning commission both recommended approval of the applicant’s request with conditions.

The Wings of Faith Church was established in 1988 by a special use permit. The daycare and preschool began more than 25 years ago, in either 1999 or 2000, not knowing that they needed a special use permit, obtaining one in June 2011.

In 2023, the childcare and preschool would relocate from a modular structure to the church’s main building. The site already has a couple of active special use permits, including the one offering daycare services and the preschool for up to 70 children, and one for a food pantry which was granted in 2013. Both the daycare/preschool and food pantry have been in operation without any reported incidents.

However, there are conditions that the applicant must meet and adhere to if their request is to be approved.

Those include the applicant providing a more detailed description of the site uses. They must also provide the appropriate traffic impact analysis that’s based on the site’s uses and propose the construction of any roadway improvements deemed necessary.