Residents oppose rezoning for Wayside Cross youth center; village accepts planning commission recommendation

Montgomery — Neighbors and public officials sharply debated a proposal by Wayside Cross Ministries to buy part of the Saint Olaf Church property and build a 12,000-square-foot Urban Youth Ministry (UYM) activity center, highlighting concerns about zoning, parking, traffic and neighborhood character.

The board of trustees accepted a Planning and Zoning Commission recommendation for a preliminary and final subdivision, rezoning to a B-1 business district, a special use for indoor recreation, and variances with conditions. The acceptance was a nonbinding acknowledgment of the commission’s recommendation; the village board may vote on the ordinance at a later meeting.

Why it matters: Petitioners say the center would provide after‑school and summer programming for school‑age children and reduce pressure on existing, cramped space at Saint Olaf. Opponents say rezoning residential land for commercial use will set a precedent, increase traffic and parking impacts and change the neighborhood’s character.

The proposal, filed as PCC‑2025‑001, would subdivide the Saint Olaf parcel and rezone the piece to B‑1 so UYM can operate indoor recreation (a special use in B‑1 under village code). Director of Community Development Erica Abt told the board that petitioners plan about 35 children on a typical after‑school day and about 70 daily in summer camp; the site plan shows 46 on‑site parking spaces. Abt described multiple recommended conditions, including limits on programming, requirement of final engineering and fire district approval, and a requirement that the applicant add parking or enter a shared parking agreement if programs expand or complaints arise.

“We do not anticipate this building being used for drug rehabilitation,” Abt said, summarizing a condition in staff’s recommendation that program uses be restricted to those stated in the applicant’s February 26 letter of intent and to youth under age 18; weekday programming would end by 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.

Wayside Cross board member James Ray said the ministry has provided community services since 1928 and the plan would expand outreach in Montgomery. “We aim to acquire 4 acres of land and create a facility that will significantly enhance our outreach efforts,” Ray said.

Robin Stirkle, Urban Youth Ministry program manager, described the program details: classrooms for homework and STEM, a kitchen for nutrition classes, and a gym for instructional leagues. “During summer camp, the hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and an average of 70 youth will be served daily,” Stirkle said. She said UYM provides transportation for roughly 70% of participants and requires registration and signed permission slips before a child may attend.

Residents who live near Saint Olaf spoke at length during public comment and at the planning and zoning hearing. They criticized the proposed rezoning from R‑1 residential to B‑1, and raised specific concerns about:

- capacity and conflicting attendance numbers offered by petitioner representatives (petitioners described 35 after‑school and 70 summer attendees, while residents pointed to other documents mentioning higher counts); - parking and traffic at the Douglas–Sherman intersection and the potential for overflow parking on residential streets; - light, noise and signage, including whether the building would carry Wayside Cross branding or an internally lit cross on the façade; - whether the site could later be used for other commercial activities if rezoned.

Several residents asked that the L‑shaped landscaped north area the petitioners intend to use for outside recreation remain undeveloped. Petitioners said that open area would be for supervised outdoor play, not additional buildings.

Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval with conditions (subdivision and rezoning 4–2; special use 5–2; variances 5–2). After the commission’s recommendation, the village board held a discussion and then accepted that recommendation in a nonbinding motion. The acceptance vote was 5–0.

What happens next: Director Abt told trustees the official ordinance granting the special use and variances (first reading identified in the packet as Ordinance 20 21) will return to the board for formal consideration at a future meeting; the board said it would allow public comment at the start of that next meeting before taking final action. Staff also said some changes (such as revised landscaping, photometric plans, final engineering and potential shared‑parking agreements) will be required before any building permit would be issued.

Trustees and staff repeatedly said they wanted to protect neighboring residents from unintended consequences and were open to changes to the proposal or alternative approaches, including retaining the site as R‑1 and creating a narrowly tailored special‑use category, or subdividing the parcel so only the building footprint would be rezoned. Abt cautioned that substantial changes to the approved public hearing notices could require restarting the hearing process.

The petitioners invited trustees to tour Wayside Cross facilities in Aurora. Saint Olaf leaders expressed support for continuing to host UYM programming and for a permanent facility on their property.

Ending: The board’s acceptance of the planning commission recommendation moves the issue closer to a final decision; trustees and residents said they expect additional hearings, revised technical plans and detailed conditions before the village would approve a site plan or building permit.