Commission approves special permit for up to 85‑child daycare at Saint Matthew’s Church

The Lincoln–Lancaster County Planning Commission on July 23 voted 8–0 to approve Special Permit SP 25,029, allowing an early‑childhood care facility for up to 85 children at Saint Matthew’s Church, 2325 S. 20th St. The approval included waivers requested by the applicant to reduce on‑site parking and to allow the facility to be located on a local street rather than an arterial.

Planner Ben Callahan described the site as an existing church campus zoned R‑2 with an educational wing that was previously designed for school use. Callahan said daycare for 16 or more children requires a special permit under the county code and noted the two specific waivers before the commission: a waiver of on‑site parking (zoning requires one space per employee on the largest shift plus one per ten children, which would typically require about 19 spaces for 85 children) and a waiver of the requirement that facilities with 31 or more children be located on an arterial street.

Applicant John Badami, representing Saint Matthew’s Church, said the church has no off‑street parking and has used street parking historically; he said the building’s classroom wing was upgraded for life‑safety code and would be suitable for a daytime childcare tenant. He described an existing designated drop‑off zone at the church’s south entrance on Park Avenue.

Anne Branch, executive director of Lincoln Littles, testified in support and described the project as a “smart community‑minded solution” that would repurpose underused church space to add childcare capacity in a neighborhood setting. Staff recommended conditional approval and listed standard special‑permit conditions and required site‑plan revisions.

Commissioners discussed parking and neighborhood traffic; staff said on‑street parking would remain public and that LTU could evaluate intersections if neighbors request traffic analysis or stop‑signs. Callahan said the special‑permit resolution would include revisions to the site plan and standard conditions to ensure compliance. The commission approved the permit 8–0.

Clarifying details: staff said the property area is roughly 38,500 square feet with a 19,000‑square‑foot church building; daycare code requires a special permit for 16+ children and includes the parking formula of 1 space per employee and 1 space per 10 children; the applicant requested waivers to reduce on‑site parking to zero and to allow location on a local street; the church has an existing drop‑off area and extensive street frontage available for parking.