Supervisors voice zoning and scale concerns over proposed 50,000-square-foot Church of God at Midland complex
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Summary
The applicant reduced the proposed multi-day event size and added soil and well testing, but supervisors said a 50,000-square-foot facility on agricultural land raises long-term land-use and traffic concerns and may belong inside a service district.
The Board of Supervisors continued debate over a special-exception application for the Church of God at Midland, which seeks approvals for a major place of worship and multi-day class B events on agriculturally zoned land in the Cedar Run District.
Planning staff said the applicant reduced its requested class B event from six days and 3,000 cumulative attendees to four days and a maximum of 2,000 cumulative attendees. The applicant also agreed to perform hydrogeologic testing on a proposed well prior to site plan approval and to have an on-site soil evaluator assess alternative drain-field locations; staff added those commitments to recommended conditions.
Planning staff told the board the county soil scientist found the primary drain‑field location has the best soils and that a reserve drain-field would likely require a sand‑mound system, which is costlier and, according to the scientist and the applicant’s soil expert, more likely to fail.
Supervisor comments focused on building scale and long-term land-use changes outside service districts. One supervisor said the combined buildings would total roughly 50,000 square feet and warned that “50,000 square feet holds a lot more than the 100 or 200 or 300 people that we've ... been told to expect.” Another supervisor said a structure of that scale outside a service district could create a long-term commercial footprint on farmland and urged a review of zoning for large special exceptions.
Why it matters: The county allows certain civic and institutional uses outside service districts by special exception, but supervisors noted the project’s scale and potential traffic, waste-water and conversion effects on agricultural land. Staff said the ordinance defines a major place of worship in part by congregation seating of 300 or more or building square footage of 10,000 or more.
Next steps: The board discussed conditions added after the public hearing; no final vote was recorded in the transcript excerpt. Supervisors asked staff to revisit zoning allowances for large special exceptions outside service districts and to ensure septic, traffic and long-term conversion risks are addressed before final action.
