Thursday, June 28, 2007

Plan Board gives thumbs down to Grace parking lot

By John McTaggart

Grace Baptist Church supporters jammed City Hall Wednesday night hoping to persuade the Planning Board to approve a church plan to double the size of its parking lot, but most of them left disappointed.

After a hearing that lasted nearly 90 minutes, the board voted 4-3 to recommend that the City Commission deny the church’s application for a special land use permit.

The expansion would require the demolition of three single-family homes owned by the church and located on Edgewood. Neighbors raised aesthetic and safety concerns.

“A stone-cold looking parking lot I totally disapprove of,” said Cedar Drive resident Jill Forsyth.

“I drove around there on a Sunday between 11:45 am and 1 p.m., supposedly the busiest time, and saw ample parking around the church.” board member Mark Nickita said. “I think this is a perfect example of how shared parking would work.”

Nickita lives within a few blocks of the church.

The city’s planning staff recommended denial of the request, saying the church should further explore shared parking with the neighboring YMCA and St. James Park, an option the church says it has already looked into.

“What works in concept doesn’t always translate into reality well,” Grace Baptist Church Pastror Dr. Charles Whitfield said.

The issue wasn’t new; a clerical error in noticing nearby residents for a May 23 hearing brought the issue back to the board’s agenda.

The City Commission has the final say on the proposal, and is expected to hear the issue Aug. 20.