Ames Zoning Board approves Lutheran Church of Hope special-use permit, permits internally lit 70-foot cross

The Ames City Zoning Board of Adjustment voted to approve a special-use permit allowing Lutheran Church of Hope to build a roughly 27,000-square-foot, two-story church at 5119 Lincoln Way, including site improvements, parking and a 70-foot cross that the board permitted to be internally lit.

City planner Benjamin Campbell told the board the property had been annexed and rezoned to a floating suburban residential low-density (FSRL) district and that the master plan for the rezoning allowed a church on the site with a special-use permit. Campbell said the proposed building would include a ground-floor auditorium and basement classrooms, a detention basin, and a parking lot that substantially exceeds the code minimum: the plan lists 728 seats (requiring 182 spaces under the applicable standard of one space per four seats) and proposes 386 spaces in the first phase.

The permit approval includes conditions recommended by staff and additional requirements the board recorded on the motion. Those conditions require the existing house on the site to be vacated by the end of 2026 and demolished thereafter, recording a plat to combine the two existing parcels, construction of proposed Lincoln Way frontage improvements, and recordation of easements for a Durant cul-de-sac turnaround and utilities. Staff also recommended deferring landscaping and buffering for portions of the frontage until future site plans for additional phases are submitted; the board approved the permit while keeping those future-development review triggers in place.

Campbell flagged neighborhood concerns about the proposed cross, which the church described as 70 feet tall and 7 feet wide and intended to be internally lit. "The thinking was that it just was not in keeping with the residential character of the area," Campbell said when explaining staff’s recommendation against internal illumination. Staff noted the proposed lighting level would stay below 1,800 lumens, a cited code cutoff, but recommended the board disallow the internal lighting on character grounds.

Architect Jason Dietzmach, presenting for the applicant, and Chris Canary, a Lutheran Church of Hope representative, argued the internally lit channel used at other campuses produces a low, focused glow and can reduce overall light spill compared with large external uplighting. "We used to fly the crosses like we did at West Des Moines; when you throw a bunch of light out you have that light pollution," Canary said. "We used the inside cross in Grimes because we actually found there was less night pollution. It's such a really soft glow." Dietzmach described steeples and crosses as traditional architectural features for churches and showed examples of lit church features around the region to support his request.

Two nearby residents spoke in opposition. Liz Snella of 306 Hartford Way said she was concerned about "design creep" — parking placed closer to houses than earlier plans showed — and that Lincoln Way is "fairly unlit" so a lit cross could be the major nighttime feature at that entrance to Ames. Leila Ostad Rahim of 214 Hartford Drive said she and neighbors bought their homes for the quiet, wooded backyards and were worried a parking lot would replace habitat used by deer and other wildlife: "We bought this house two years ago ... now it's going to be parking lot. So I'm not happy about it." The board noted a neighborhood meeting had been held and that notices were mailed to properties within 200 feet.

Board members debated staff’s recommendation on lighting during a closed-session discussion of alternatives. The motion that carried approved staff’s Alternative 1 (approval with standard conditions) but deleted the specific staff sub‑condition that would have prohibited internal lighting of the cross. The board’s recorded roll-call for the final motion shows Patton, Whitehouse and Cruz voting "aye"; the motion was seconded and confirmed as approved by the board.

The special-use permit approval preserves the site’s development phasing: additional building or parking shown on the applicant’s plan will require separate review and an additional special-use permit. The city planner said the area north of the proposed building is intended for future single-family development and that the flagged lot frontage and detention features on the plan reflect technical frontage and stormwater constraints. Landscaping proposed along the west property line includes a buffer roughly 35 feet deep, trees at approximately one per 50 feet and a continuous line of shrubs planted at about 4 feet tall that must grow to six feet; staff said shrubs are spaced five to six feet apart to form an eventual continuous screen.

Votes at a glance: - Election of officers: Leah Patchen was nominated and approved as chair (voice vote). Caleb was nominated and approved as vice chair (voice vote). - Approval of minutes (03/26/2025): Motion to approve carried (voice vote); one board member abstained. - Special-use permit, Lutheran Church of Hope, 5119 Lincoln Way: Motion to approve Alternative 1 (staff conditions) with sub‑item D (staff recommendation to prohibit internal lighting of the 70-foot cross) deleted — APPROVED (roll-call recorded: Patton — aye; Whitehouse — aye; Cruz — aye; motion seconded and carried).

A person seeking judicial review may appeal the board's decision by filing a petition in district court within 30 days of filing the board’s decision, as the board announced at adjournment.