Wasn't there a thread on here where a neighborhood wasn't happy with the building of a KH, because of all the noise and activity?
This was in our local paper a couple days ago! Feel free to post in the comment area of the paper!
http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/2010/may/22/jehovahs-rezoning-wins-ok/
There are a couple funny comments from readers!
Jehovah’s rezoning wins OK
P&Z blesses a change for hall.
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A plan to construct a Jehovah’s Witnesses hall amidst a residential neighborhood has some surrounding residents concerned about noise and lighting.
The South Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses won approval from the Columbia Planning and Zoning Commission last night to rezone a 1-acre piece of land to R-1, one-family dwelling, in preparation of constructing a Kingdom Hall facility at 350 E. Old Plank Road. The property is outside the city limits and a request for annexation is pending approval by the Columbia City Council at a future meeting.
Scott Thomas, an elder with the congregation, said the location on the south side of Columbia was chosen to offer a convenient alternative to its other facility at 301 Smiley Lane.
“We try and cover the entire area of Columbia,” Thomas said. “We hoped to put one on the south side to make it more inviting for residents to attend meetings.”
The congregation expects about 75 people to attend services at the outset. Residents surrounding the land in question expressed some concerns with the plan, including potential damage to the tree line surrounding the property.
John Hawkins, who lives just east of the site along Old Plank, said he’s not happy with the idea of a church next door. His major concern, other than the light spilling over from the parking lot, he said, is that he owns horses and donkeys and that the commotion will rile his animals, specifically the donkeys, which he said are not used to activity.
“You go by any church any time and there is almost always somebody there,” Hawkins said. “It’s a lot of cars next to our property. There will be a lot of noise because of it.”
In a letter to the city’s planning staff, Wayne Savage, who owns the property to the south of the land, asked if staff could impose landscaping along the property’s southern perimeter to provide a visual buffer.
Pat Zenner, the city’s development services manager, said in a case of open zoning the city cannot attach conditions. “The church, provided it meets minimum lot area and setback requirements, no other conditions can be attached to it,” he said.
Planning and Zoning commissioners told Thomas he should make efforts to work with the neighbors to address their concerns. Commissioner Doug Wheeler said the upcoming site plan “will be very instrumental in making everybody happy.”
Thomas said he will pass along the concerns to the people designing the site plan.
“We will do what we can to work with the neighbors,” Thomas said. “We want to be good neighbors and don’t want to cause any problems.”
The commission voted 8-0 in favor of the request. Commissioner David Brodsky was absent from the meeting.
Reach Daniel Cailler at 573-815-1717 or e-mail [email protected]