Council hears neighbor objections to Vineyard Church rezoning at 9501 N. May Ave.; motion to defer

The Village City Council heard public concerns on a rezoning application that would change 9501 North May Avenue from Commercial C-2 to a Planned Unit Development to accommodate the Vineyard Church.

Speaker 3 told the council the plan would convert roughly 20,000 square feet — the former Gill Creek Carpet space — for religious use and that planning recommended approval. Neighbors and nearby property owners said at the meeting that a PUD tied to church use could restrict future tenants and reduce lease income, citing examples including limits on alcohol sales near churches. Speaker 6, representing adjacent property owners, said the alley behind the building could see more cut-through traffic on busy days and that the change would “limit our ability to put certain kind of tenants in the future.”

In response, Speaker 4 (staff) said each rezoning application is evaluated on its own merits and noted the space has been on the market for over a year; staff characterized the proposal as a viable reuse given the vacancy. The council asked about congregation size and property ownership; exact congregation numbers and some ownership details were not specified in the transcript.

After public comment, Speaker 1 moved to defer the Vineyard Church rezoning “until the next stage.” The motion was recorded in the transcript but no seconder or roll-call vote appears in the supplied transcript.

Next steps: the motion to defer was made during the meeting; the transcript does not record a seconder or a final vote. The council did not adopt the rezoning during this session.