County OKs new church

A four-month clash between a religious congregation with dreams of a new home and neighbors wary of the project in their backyard culminated Thursday night with county commissioners voting 3-2 to approve a smaller version of Valley Christian Fellowship's proposed church.

County commissioners Dave Brady and Greg Lynn voted against the project on the edge of the Silveranch subdivision in the Gardnerville Ranchos.

During the three-hour rehearing, Silveranch resident Margie Smith, one of about a hundred people at the meeting, said the controversy was "pitting Christians against Christians."

"I'm a Christian, too, I go to church, and I prayed for commissioners to make the right decision," Smith said in a surge of tears. "Our neighbors prayed, too. Putting the church in this neighborhood is not good."

Silveranch resident Allan Gustafson asked for God's mercy.

"Please God have mercy on me for opposing this church and being judgmental," he said. "I'm not against God or the church, only the size of the structure."

Robert Simpson, an elder at Valley Christian Fellowship, said church members are following what they feel is right in their hearts.

"We are Christian folk, and our desire is to help people and do what the Bible teaches," he said. "We decided as a group to size down the project."

Simpson said the church has followed county code every step of the way.

"We can only do what's asked of us," he said. "We've fallen within the parameters and haven't asked for one variance. We have lots of people that live in the Ranchos. We could have had our congregation come in, hundreds of people, but we didn't want to pit neighbor against neighbor. It's not a popularity contest. It's what the law says, and we've followed every letter of it."

Originally, a 30,000-square-foot church was proposed for the 5.4-acre residential lot between Centerville Lane and Drayton Boulevard. The site is zoned for single-family residential, but county code allows the construction of churches in residential zones with the approval of a special use permit.

On Dec. 4, county commissioners voted 3-2, with commissioner Doug Johnson and former commissioner Jim Baushke in the negative, to approve a special use permit for the project, overturning the planning commission's earlier denial in November.

However, neighbors requested a rehearing, arguing that not enough research had been performed on potential traffic hazards, decreased property values, incompatibility with the neighborhood and other issues.

On Dec. 18, county commissioners voted 4-1 to rehear the issue, with former commissioner Kelly Kite voting in the negative.

According to the minutes of that meeting, commissioner Brady said not enough evidence was available at the time of the initial decision, and that the board might have received misinformation.

J.D. Sullivan, representing property owner Holstein Farms, warned that the board was setting a precedent allowing any neighbor unhappy with an adjacent project to request a rehearing.

Nonetheless, the rehearing went forward, and since then, plans for the church have been modified. The building square footage has been reduced by 37 percent, from 30,000 square feet to 18,885 square feet. The majority of the building would be 25 feet high. The main sanctuary would reach 31 feet, its cupola 44 feet and a projecting cross 56 feet.

Setbacks and landscaping area for the project have also been increased. Other conditions include a 6-foot screen wall or berm along the western edge to insulate neighbors from the structure, and a requirement that parking lot lights be extinguished no later than 9 p.m.

An existing barn and ranch house on the property must also be preserved.

But on Thursday, neighbors said the modifications were not enough.

"We appreciate the church taking the steps to do this, but there is still a whole list of problems," said neighbor Terry Burnes.

Silveranch resident Tom Zogorski, Jr., who had led the rehearing charge, said the church would be out of proportion with the neighborhood.

"This project will clearly result in material damage to adjacent properties," he said.

Property appraiser Sally-Ann Nash, whom the neighbors had hired, supported Zogorski's claim.

"In my opinion, each house within 600 feet of the church will suffer a loss of value and decreased marketability," she said.

But commissioner Mike Olson said another appraiser told him the exact opposite.

"I contacted an appraiser, whom I didn't pay, who lives in Silveranch, and he said more people are inclined to buy homes when there is a church in the neighborhood," Olson said.

Neighbors also argued that the project warranted an extensive traffic impact analysis.

"Traffic is a problem here, and staff is wishing it away to get the church approved," Burnes said.

Valerie Claussen, associate planner for the county, said both Centerville Lane and Drayton Boulevard are major rural collector roads with the purpose of moving traffic.

"They are planned to accommodate increased traffic," she said.

Commissioners agreed that Valley Christian Fellowship's proposal conformed to county code, but commissioners still differed as to the appropriate use of the property.

"It's code compliant, follows the letter of the law and meets requirements," said commissioner Brady, "but have we employed the best land-use practices for the neighborhood?"

He concluded that following the letter of the law was not enough.

"I do believe the properties to the east will incur material damage from loss of view shed," he said.

Commissioner Lynn had issue with neighbors' complaints about their view shed.

"If you want control of the view, you have to buy the property that could obstruct your view," he said.

But he agreed with Brady that it wasn't enough to meet the letter of the law, that the spirit of the law had to be met as well.

"I've been in these chambers long enough to see things take forms that nobody anticipated," he said. "The overall impact of the church is not compatible with the existing neighborhood when people are moving in with the expectation that it's residential."

Although he had concerns about traffic and lighting, commissioner Olson supported the project, arguing that churches are positive assets to neighborhoods.

"I'm thinking about mental health issues," he said. "That neighborhood just lost a young man about 10 days ago. Churches can offer a foundation for our youth."

Olson said communities can be judged by their churches.

"Twenty years ago, people would have applauded a church in their neighborhood," he said.

Commissioner Johnson, who also supported the project, said the decision was a painful one.

"I haven't slept in a week," he said. "I have two friends left in Douglas County, one on either side of the issue. People are out there crying because it affects them."

Johnson said it was impossible to satisfy everyone.

"Half of you will walk out of this room disappointed, and there is no way around it," he said. "The church did a lot of things to mitigate concerns, and they didn't have to do anything the way the law is written. I'm coming out in support of this, and I'm speaking from the heart."

Commissioner Nancy McDermid said she prayed about the issue.

"You've both been praying and I've been praying very hard, too," she said. "We cannot make policy on a project-by-project basis. Many things the residents have brought forward have to depend on policies, but what is written right now is the only thing we have to go by."

Although she voted for the project, McDermid hoped that the two parties could reconcile their differences.

"I hope Pastor Leo Kruger and the congregation reach out," she said. "I want the neighbors and the congregation to work together."