Henderson council affirms approval for New Song Church campus expansion with added conditions

The Henderson City Council voted unanimously to uphold the planning commission's approval of New Song Lutheran Church's application to expand its campus and increase school enrollment.

Mayor Michelle Romero moved to affirm the planning commission's decision and the motion carried with all members voting in favor. The approval allows the expansion of the New Song Christian Academy from the previous permit limits to a maximum of 176 students and authorizes construction of a new sanctuary and a multipurpose building on the site at the northeast corner of Reunion and Anthem Parkway.

City planning representative Liz Sirocak, speaking for the applicant, described the project as phased construction that will add about 23,000 square feet of new building area, increase on-site parking from 148 to 187 spaces and keep most building heights within residential limits. "We are providing 24 more parking spaces than what is required by code and 39 more spaces than what are currently on-site," Sirocak said, noting the applicant's efforts to mitigate neighborhood impacts.

The council added several conditions to address neighborhood concerns. Those add-ons include painting curbs in designated fire-lane/no-parking areas to make restrictions clearer, a requirement that construction staging and equipment remain on-site, a clarified scheduling requirement that allows a 30-minute stagger before or after Del Webb Middle School bell times, and an annual enrollment report timed to provide an accurate count at the start of the school year. Planning staff also required an updated traffic study to verify drop-off and pick-up operations after approval.

Appellants and some neighbors questioned the adequacy and timing of traffic counts, noting the applicant's April 15, 2025 traffic counts occurred during a holiday week. An appellant, Coombs, asked the council to require broader neighborhood notification and more frequent enrollment reporting, saying the community would prefer quarterly updates rather than a single annual letter. Planning staff said the council could modify condition 27 and suggested an annual letter submitted in June or a September check as a compromise; the council settled on an annual report timed to reflect enrollment at the start of the school year.

Legal counsel advised the council that the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and the Fair Housing Act can limit the city's discretion on religious land-use matters and that any restrictions must meet strict scrutiny'a compelling interest and least-restrictive-means test. Senior assistant city attorney Michael O explained the legal standard and cautioned that generalized concerns about traffic or property values rarely meet the RLUIPA threshold without concrete evidence.

Council members repeatedly praised the applicant's mitigation steps'noting staggered bell times, on-site attendants during drop-off/pick-up windows and additional parking'while also acknowledging residents' ongoing roadway and notice concerns. The council's approval includes staff-recommended conditions and the applicant's requested modification of condition 18 to allow flexibility if Del Webb Middle School changes its start time.

With the vote, the planning commission's approval was affirmed subject to the added conditions; construction and the gradual increase to 176 students will proceed under the phases and compliance steps outlined in the permit.

The council recorded the motion and vote as carried unanimously; staff will finalize amended permit conditions and monitor compliance through the required enrollment reporting and traffic performance updates.