Beavercreek planning commission approves Mosaic Church expansion with conditions

The City of Beavercreek Planning Commission on Tuesday approved a conditional-use request from Mosaic Church (PC25-3) to build a 6,510-square-foot addition to the church at 350 North Fairfield Road and reconfigure portions of the site. The commission voted 5-0 to approve the application with eight conditions, including a requirement for a photometric plan, a three-year landscape bond and a new condition limiting exterior construction hours to 7 a.m.–7 p.m.

The expansion would increase the church—s worship area and seating capacity; the applicants described the project as nearly doubling the existing sanctuary footprint and planning seating for about 372 people. Mosaic and its design team told commissioners the addition is intended both to serve the congregation and to increase space the church offers to community partners, including the Gem City Diaper Bank, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Joshua Recovery Ministries and local school programs.

City planner Colin Carville framed the request as a conditional use because the property is zoned R-1A, where a church is allowed only by conditional-use approval. "The reason why it's a conditional use, the lot is uniquely zoned r 1 a," Carville told the commission. He said staff recommended approval with seven conditions in the report; commissioners later added an eighth condition limiting exterior construction hours.

Applicant representatives described the project. Rick Perales, project lead, said the church—s need grew with membership and community use: "This project has been in in the thought process for a year and a half or more...we're at the point where we're gonna be bidding soon," he said. Pastor Rosario Picardo described community uses that the expanded facility is intended to support: "This space is going to be used not just for those that are already part of our congregation, but it's to make space for more people...we're hoping to be a good community partner."

Architect David Helmers described the proposed work as a roughly 6,500-square-foot new worship addition with interior remodels to older sections of the building. He said the current worship footprint is about 3,500 square feet and that the new seating capacity would be roughly 372. Helmers told the commission the design keeps existing brick on the older wings while adding a center section with metal paneling and that new rooftop HVAC equipment for the addition will not be roof-mounted.

Staff and the applicant addressed parking and drainage. Carville said the property totals about 5.299 acres, and that staff—s parking calculation is tied to sanctuary seating: a 372-seat sanctuary requires 124 spaces. The applicant proposes 142 spaces after on-site reconfiguration; staff noted that North Fairfield Road widening planned later this year will remove roughly 30 existing spaces on the site—s western edge but the proposed layout would still provide more spaces than required. Carville said staff did not require additional stormwater calculations because the proposed work did not exceed the one-acre disturbance threshold that triggers Ohio EPA stormwater permitting requirements; he also said staff will require a photometric plan and a final landscape plan with a three-year bond for new plantings.

A nearby resident, David McKenna of 3418 Arlington Place, urged the commission to ensure stormwater and flood-risk effects are evaluated, noting prior neighborhood flooding tied to sewer backups. "We are currently about a foot outside of the hundred year floodplain...I just don't want sewage backing up in my basement again," McKenna said. Commissioners and staff responded that an existing detention basin is on the site and that staff had used FEMA maps and city standards in their review; the commission—s city engineer and planning staff said the project, as proposed, did not trigger additional stormwater controls under current ordinances but they would verify capacities and the detention system during plan review.

Commissioners pressed the applicants on accessibility and circulation. New commissioner questions focused on where congregants would enter and which parking areas would serve the addition; applicants said the building will have multiple entrances, accessible drop-off points and an elevator. Commissioners also discussed placement of handicap parking given the planned removal of spaces during the North Fairfield Road project; staff said ADA and site-plan review would address final handicap stall locations.

Noise and lighting were raised by neighbors and commissioners. McKenna asked about outdoor-service noise; the applicant said they will limit impact and plant trees along the north property line to buffer sound and light. The commission required a photometric plan and indicated building-mounted lighting should be shielded; staff said the photometric plan condition will address light spill and could include timed reductions to limit late-night impacts.

Before the final vote commissioners added a condition restricting exterior construction activity to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; that addition was made by motion and accepted. The commission then approved the conditional use by roll call: Commissioners Francis, Jones, Meyer, Fountain and Self voted yes; the motion carried 5-0. The commission also handled routine items by consensus, including reorganizing the chair and vice chair and approving minutes from the March 5, 2025 meeting.

The commission—s formal decision is final at the planning-commission level; appeals procedures exist but the conditional-use approval does not automatically go to city council. The applicants said they plan to bid subcontractor work soon and coordinate construction timing with the North Fairfield Road widening, which staff said is likely to begin work that affects site parking in the October timeframe because of seasonal tree-cutting restrictions.

Votes at a glance: - PC25-3, Mosaic Church conditional-use: Approved 5-0 (Commissioners Francis, Jones, Meyer, Fountain, Self). Motion: approve conditional use with eight conditions (added condition: exterior construction hours 7 a.m.–7 p.m.). - Minutes (03/05/2025): Approved (chair abstained). - Reorganization (chair and vice chair): Approved by consensus.

What happens next: Staff will require submission of final site plans, a photometric plan, a landscape plan with a three-year bond for plantings, and verification of stormwater/detention capacity and ADA-compliant parking and access during permit review. The applicants said they expect to bid work and coordinate schedules with the North Fairfield Road widening project; staff estimated that road work that will remove existing parking likely will begin in October, subject to contractor scheduling and seasonal tree-cutting restrictions.