ORANGE : Shelter for Women, Children Approved

After months of negotiations and emotional public hearings, the Orange County Rescue Mission won approval from the City Council this week to build a shelter for homeless women and children in Old Towne.

Despite strong opposition from some neighbors and preservationists, council members voted unanimously to approve House of Hope, a transitional home that will provide shelter, job training and other services for up to 20 women.

“It’s a dream come true,” said John Lands, president of the rescue mission. “We’ve been working on this since 1985. . . . We’re very excited and ready to proceed. I think we’re going to be very good neighbors, and (other residents) will find that out.”

The $2.1-million project will be the fourth and largest group home run by the mission in the county. The site, at 357-373 S. Lemon St., will replace Potter’s Church and two homes. Lands said he expects to break ground in September, with construction scheduled to be completed in early 1993.

During a 1 1/2-hour public hearing, most project opponents said they did not object to having a shelter in their neighborhood, but argued that the two-story, 15,000-square-foot structure would aggravate the parking, traffic and overcrowding problems that plague the southwest quadrant of the historic Old Towne district.

Robert Boice, president of the Old Towne Preservation Assn., said the project symbolized overdevelopment and the need to reduce density in Old Towne.

“It’s not easy to speak out against a project like this,” Boice said. “But (the building) impacts a quadrant that is heavily impacted already. It’s time to say, ‘Enough.’ ”