Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parkland resident urges commission to reject rezoning for church parking lot
Summary
A Parkland resident told the City Commission that a proposal by Coastal Community Church to buy land in The Ranches for a commercial parking lot would require rezoning and is unnecessary given existing parking and shuttle alternatives.
Fred Abt, a resident of The Ranches, told the City Commission on Jan. 14 that a written proposal circulated by Coastal Community Church to purchase land in The Ranches and convert it into a commercial parking lot would require a change in zoning and should not be approved. "Right now, my understanding is the ranches are not zoned for parking lots, and that would require the city to approve a change in order for the church to do that," Abt said.
Abt said his count of available nearby spaces shows the church already has sufficient capacity for its reported fire-department maximum occupancy of about 1,000 people. He told commissioners that the synagogue had offered at least 150 spaces, city hall has about 145 spaces (plus about 30 near the firehouse not counted), and the church lot itself holds about 200 spaces. Abt also noted that the church currently parks vehicles on the berm on Sundays. "If you average about two people per car, that's over 1,000 people," he said, arguing that the congregation could use a combination of existing lots, staggered service times or shuttles rather than purchasing and rezoning residential land for a commercial lot.
Abt proposed alternatives including adding more service times, using city or synagogue parking, shuttling from the equestrian center, using vacant land north of Parkland Golf and Country Club, or building a multi-level lot on the church's existing property. He closed his remarks by warning of long-term neighborhood impacts if residential land is converted to parking: "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot," he said, invoking a familiar refrain about preserving residential character.
City staff did not present an application or recommendation during public comment, and no rezoning request was voted on at the meeting. Commissioners did not take formal action on the matter during this session; the item remains a public comment concern that would require formal application and staff review before any rezoning or purchase could proceed.
