Rolla planning commission recommends approval for church on 3-acre lot with 7-foot privacy fence

The Rolla City Planning and Zoning Commission on May 13 recommended that the City Council approve a conditional use permit to allow a church on a parcel zoned R‑1 (suburban residential) located at the southeast corner of Forum Drive and Eighteenth Street.

Tom, a city staff member who presented the application, said the parcel is "a little over 3 acres" and that the request requires a conditional use permit because the church would be on a property greater than 1 acre in the R‑1 district. Tom described the proposal as an initial 10,000‑square‑foot sanctuary with a possible later 10,000‑square‑foot addition for accessory uses such as a fellowship hall, and said driveway access would be from Eighteenth Street.

The commission’s recommendation limits initial construction to 10,000 square feet and requires a 7‑foot privacy fence that must extend "as far as the development goes." The commission recorded a roll‑call vote in favor and the motion passed.

Why it matters: neighbors said the parcel’s development could affect adjacent yards through headlights, stormwater runoff and loss of trees, and the property must be served by a street that is not yet built. The commission’s conditions address mitigation (privacy fencing and a required landscape plan) and preserve the commission’s ability to require further review if the church seeks a larger expansion.

In the…