Planning commission approves Edmond Community Church site plan with sidewalk timing exception

The Edmond Planning Commission voted 4-0 on Nov. 18 to approve a site plan for Edmond Community Church on roughly 4.7 acres along Westminster between Danforth and Highway 66 and granted an exception to postpone sidewalk construction while requiring right-of-way dedication now.

Staff presented the church plan and recommended approval, including the sidewalk exception permissible in predominantly rural frontage areas if the developer dedicates required right-of-way. Mohammed Khan of SMC Consulting (S13), representing the applicant, said the site plan conforms to the PUD approved in 2022 and that the applicant would dedicate the right-of-way and address sidewalk construction in a future phase. "We are agreeing to construct the sidewalk; it's just about the timing and tying it to the future phase of this," Khan said.

Neighbors raised four concerns during public comment: potential impacts on private well water, light pollution and lighting height, parking-lot activity spilling into backyards (including weekend street racing cited by a commenter), and the presence of a natural-gas gathering pipeline north of the site. Khan answered that proposed lighting would meet city code and that photometric calculations showed no encroachment on the north property line, noting poles nearest that line would be lowered to 19 feet and a six-foot wood/masonry fence plus landscaping were proposed. Pastor Ray Strauss (S16) said the gathering pipeline is not on church property and described nearby utility work to lower and bury the line as part of other work in the area.

The commission moved to approve the site plan; the motion passed 4-0 and the item concluded that evening. The record shows the church will dedicate right-of-way now and add sidewalks in a later phase per an agreement to be memorialized with staff.

Quotes in this article are verbatim from the meeting transcript and attributed to speakers listed in the hearing record.