P&Z blesses place of worship requests
Navasota Planning and Zoning commissioners gave their blessing to a zoning change and two Conditional Use Permit applications for places of worship at a Regular Meeting Thursday, Sept. 8.
New Hope Church to relocate After a public hearing with no comments against, commissioners approved a Conditional Use Permit for a place of worship at 7908 Highway 6 Loop, the current location of Agape Furniture owned by TCL Holdings, Inc.
During the public hearing, Project Representative and pastor of New Hope Church, Dr. Max Brand, explained the events leading up to the permit application and proposed relocation of New Hope Church from 2159 Texas 105 to Highway 6.
Brand said, “I had a call from a friend of mine who represents HEB wanting to buy the property in between the church and Highway 6.”
According to Brand, after several conversations, HEB decided to purchase all of the church property because of limitations placed by area pipelines, and with Agape Furniture moving its business online that building became available. Because the property is zoned B-1: General Business District where a place of worship is a Conditional Use, the permit requires approval of P&Z and City Council.
Rumors around church merger addressed Both a zoning change and a Conditional Use Permit were requested by Masterbuilt Ministries, Inc. and Salem House of Blessings Ministries, Inc. for 2.55 acres at 1100 Manley Street. After public hearings and separate votes for each item, commissioners approved rezoning the property from PU: Public Use District to R-1C single dwelling residential district as well as the Conditional Use Permit for a place of worship.
Council chambers were near capacity with church members and concerned residents but during the public hearing, Pastor Cody Sechelski and Pastor Charles Tompkins spoke on behalf of the zoning change and responded to rumors that the new facility was going to be a halfway house.
Sechelski said, “I know it’s been said that it was going to be a halfway house or possibly a rehab and I want to make sure that it is clearly understood that is not the case. That’s not even an option. That’s not the correct location to do something like that.”
Tompkins explained that Salem House of Blessing is the home church for Masterbuilt Ministries, which is an outreach program.
He said, “We decided to come together and merge and show this town and community what unity looks like. We have outgrown 1515 Sycamore Street because we have ideas and purpose…and we want to have a church facility to house us both.”
In addition to a larger worship center, goals include a library, tutoring services, Wi-Fi availability and a youth center.
Resident Deborah Richardson expressed her concerns about the R-1C “morphing” into a halfway house or a sober living facility five years from now and requested clarification of the ordinance from Development Services Director Lupe Diosdado about people spending the night.
Diosdado said the Conditional Use Permit requested specifies a place of worship and he acknowledged some “gray areas” such as church-sponsored day care facilities.
He continued, “When it is comes to living there or someone staying there overnight, that’s a dwelling which is permitted in the proposed R-1C; however, they’re asking for the use to be a church.”
According to Diosdado, after inspection by the City building inspector, a Certifi cate of Occupancy for a place of worship is issued. If the owners abandon that use, they must come back to P&Z and go through the permitting and public hearing process again.
In other action, commissioners approved the minutes of the Aug. 25 meeting. The meeting may be viewed in its entirety at https://www.navasotatx. gov/planning-zoning- commission.