Proposed site of Peace Church
by Joseph Schultz
Peace Church, one of the fastest-growing churches in Wayland, has outgrown its leased site on West Superior and seeks a building that can house its ministry.at the corner of Reno Drive and 133rd Avenue.
Wayland City Planning Commissioners reviewed the church’s special land use application for the property. The property is currently in the I-2 zone, and the need for the church to add additional parking spots on the site required them to seek a special use permit.
Planner Tricia Anderson explained that normally, a special land use application requires a fully engineered site plan. However, the church did not provide one.
The church’s spokesperson stated that the church is currently looking at purchasing the property and does not want to spend the money getting an engineered site plan if they will not be permitted to expand the parking lot. They want assurance they will have a special land use permit before they purchase the property and pay for a site plan.
Anderson explained that the ordinance for special land uses requires a site plan be submitted; there is no way to separate the two. Commissioners were concerned that the church would not have enough parking. Some questioned whether the church could add parking to the front of the building, though parking in the front is generally prohibited in industrial zones.
However, it was pointed out that the Robinson Dental to the north of the site has parking in the front of its building. The current building also has some parking in the front right now. Peace Church plans to extend that parking lot to the south, and not to the west or the front of the property.
Anderson supported a favorable recommendation be sent to the City Council for the special use permit, pending 14 conditions the church must meet. Those conditions would be met with a fully engineered site plan.
Representatives from the church agreed to pay for an engineered site plan to meet those conditions. The commission voted to send a favorable recommendation to the City Council, with those 14 conditions.
Outdated Zoning Maps and Ordinances
The Planning Commission also took up a rezoning request from Dennis and Cheryl Wilke, who own 10 acres of land that straddles the border of the City of Wayland and Wayland Township.
It is the Wilkes’ desire to split off the front three acres of their land that is in the City of Wayland. The split-off land will be used to provide housing for their children. The remaining acres in Wayland Township will contain the Wilkes’ current home.
When the Wilkes sought guidance to split the property, it was discovered that the land was zoned as an outdated R-A, while all the other properties around it were zoned R-1. A search could not find a mention that the property was changed to R-1 when the city updated the zoning ordinance. This oversight prompted the need for the rezoning request.
After some discussion and explanation of the outdated zoning maps, commissioners voted to recommend approval of the rezoning request to the City Council.
