Council approves rezoning to allow First Baptist Church campus expansion

Rockwell City Council on Feb. 2 unanimously approved Z2025-075, rezoning an 11.155-acre tract associated with First Baptist Church to a planned development district that would consolidate multiple zoning districts and allow future campus expansion.

Staff presented the proposal as a consolidation of single-family and retail districts into a planned development with an underlying general retail designation to better reflect the institutional use and accommodate a structured parking garage, a four-story adult-education building and related accessory uses. "Based on the existing sanctuary seating ... the overall parking demand for this full facility is calculated to be about, approximately 457 spaces," staff said, and added that the concept plan "shows conformance to this parking demand" and that "they're providing 990 parking spaces at full build out, and this includes 331 situated in that parking garage." The plan also includes a 65-foot maximum building height to accommodate the new classroom building and a carve-out to preserve an existing steeple that reaches about 120 feet.

Dr. Jean Conway, chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission, told council the commission considered the case and voted 5–0 to recommend approval. Staff said 222 notices were mailed within 500 feet and notices to participating HOAs were sent within 1,500 feet; as of the meeting packet there had been one written response in favor and one in opposition.

No members of the public spoke during the public hearing; the council opened and closed the hearing and then voted to adopt the ordinance, with the mayor calling the vote and noting that it "passes unanimously." The zoning change will permit the church’s proposed expansions to be reviewed under the planned development standards and requires any future deviations beyond the district rules (for example, buildings taller than 65 feet) to return to council via a specific-use-permit process.

The approval formalizes the Planning & Zoning recommendation and provides the regulatory framework for the church to pursue the concept plan in phases, including demolition of a legally nonconforming commercial strip center and construction of a structured parking element. The applicant and staff said elements of the project will be subject to future site- and building-plan reviews and any required use permits.