Council approves five-year specific-use permit for Destiny Church in Village Walk Shopping Center

The Missouri City Council on Aug. 18 approved an ordinance amending and restating Specific Use Permit No. 210 to authorize Destiny Church to use an approximately 7,000-square-foot lease space in the Village Walk Shopping Center as a place of assembly, with conditions that restrict assembly uses in the center to a single tenant and set a five-year term tied to occupancy.

Jennifer Thomas Gomez, director of government services, told council the church had been a tenant under a temporary SUP approved in 2020 and sought to remove the SUP’s expiration date. "The recommendation coming forward is, to, approve it for the space as it exists, 7,000 square feet, and restrict it to 1 assembly use within that shopping center," Gomez said. Staff recommended approval with limits to preserve the shopping center’s underlying LC-3 retail zoning for other lease spaces.

Council discussion focused on the term and how to ensure the SUP would end if Destiny Church vacated or later expanded. Mayor Pro Tem Brown Marshall suggested tying the permit to the occupant’s active lease. Council member Riley thanked the church for its community role and confirmed that any expansion beyond the current 7,000 square feet would require an SUP amendment.

Council member Boney moved to adopt staff’s recommendation to limit the assembly to one 7,000-square-foot space and to set the SUP term to five years (with the option discussed by council to tie expiration to the current tenant’s occupancy); Council member Riley seconded the motion. The ordinance passed unanimously.

The amended permit records the authorized use of the lease space as an assembly/place of worship use within the shopping center, retains the underlying LC-3 designation for the rest of the center, and includes the size and single-assembly limitation in the ordinance language.