OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The City of Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved recommending a request for off-site parking associated with an existing church in the R-2 and R-3 zoning classifications, during a public hearing on Monday, April 13, 2026.
The request had been for a public hearing to allow for off-site parking in association with a church or place of worship within the R-2-zoned, two-family residential district, and a public hearing to allow for off-site parking in association with a church or place of worship within an R-3-zoned, multi-family residential district. The petitioner was Primus Rutledge, the property owner is Cry of Deliverance Outreach and Ministry, Inc. and the agent is Andy Kesselring.
Both site properties were annexed into the city in 1975. One was acquired in 2022 and the other in 2024. The property to the north is currently being used for non-conforming parking for the church, and they just received a special exception approval for parking in the R-2 and the R-3 zoning classifications in March 2026.
Staff found that the request meets the standards for off-street parking approval pursuant to section 122-735 as well as section 122-1002, and it also received its approval for the special exception of those facilities and those zoning districts. The off-street parking facilities are within 300 feet of the Cry of Deliverance Church.
Based on the findings, staff recommended approval for the following conditions: The two off-street parking facilities are only to be used as off-site parking for Cry of Deliverance Church.
This approval shall be granted for and run with the subject properties as long as the church remains the primary use and the off-site parking remains an accessory use to the church.
The site plan shall be consistent with the provided conceptual plan, and site plan approval shall be required within 24 months of the date of the last public hearing.
Landscape areas must be protected from traffic movement as indicated on the concept plan. An alternate surface for the off-site parking areas shall require approval by the city engineer.
Andy Kesselring, Edk-Environmental Design, the landscape architect who’s involved with the project as well as the agent for the petitioner, spoke before the commission.
“The church has been there for a long, long time, since the late ’50s I believe,” said Kesselring. “They’ve kind of been using these lots as parking for a long time. They’re in the process of trying to renovate the building. They’re going to add on some things, and I think they just want to get some things up to code. As far as the grass parking, we know that we have to get that approval through the city engineer. We’ve had success doing that in the past for churches like this. We feel pretty confident about that.”
The church is only holding services on Sundays at the present time, said Kesselring.