Church not ready to detour from its plans

New Berlin - The city and neighbors have expressed doubts about a church's plan that would pour traffic onto a residential street, but church officials believe they have done their part to address concerns.

Officials of WeatherStone Church are consulting with attorneys specializing in church building issues to see if the city is going too far in pressing for another traffic alternative.

The congregation - which already conducts services in the former Calhoun School, 1500 South West Lane - wants to build a church beside the school and hold services there instead.

West Lane's busy Sundays

The problem is not so much that the church would continue to use South West Lane as its entrance, but that its congregation of about 500 could grow to the 1,000 that the proposed new church could accommodate. The current 500 are spread over two Sunday morning services. Church officials said they would continue to hold two services, rather than consolidate into a single service.

Even without that growth, a neighbor directly across the street opposes the proposed driveway arrangement, saying it would set up a dangerous situation for him and his family.

Neighbors complained that the church already makes their neighborhood into what one called "an appendage to Grand Central Station," with activities going on all week.

And they have gotten some Plan Commission support.

"I don't think anyone on this commission would want to live on that street," with up to 1,000 people exiting, commissioner Marta Brooge said at the Plan Commission meeting in August.

Diverting traffic elsewhere

At that time, the Plan Commission recommended the rezoning the church sought, but tabled consideration of the site plan itself.

Before accepting that plan, commissioners wanted to be sure the church had made every effort to get a driveway onto either of two roads that could handle more traffic: Greenfield Avenue, which is a state highway, or Calhoun Road, which is a major collector road. Indeed, future expansion plans call for a driveway onto Calhoun Road.

Such a driveway would serve about 40 percent of the parking lot and add perhaps up to $80,000 to the cost, Dennis Batty, project architect, estimated.

But Pastor David Ford said the church is not ready to go ahead with that at this point unless it has to.

Undue pressure?

Besides, church officials believe they have done enough due diligence and have met all reasonable requirements with their current plan.

Now Ford said, "We are looking into what our rights are."

They are consulting with attorneys in Chicago who specialize in the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act that prohibits governments from imposing land-use regulations that would impose "a substantial burden" on the ability of a person or institution to exercise its religion.

WeatherStone officials also are looking into the 2004 case involving the SS Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church and its suit against New Berlin for the right to build a church complex on Cleveland Avenue, Ford said.

He was confident that research will show that the church would have a strong case if the issue comes to court.