Yamhill County leaves record open in church land-use appeal amid traffic, septic and access concerns

The Yamhill County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 19 heard an appeal of a planning director decision approving construction and operation of a proposed Chehalem Christian Fellowship church and unanimously voted to leave the record open for additional written submissions and rebuttal.

The hearing centers on a proposal for a church on tax lot 3206-04900 in the county’s AF10 zone. Senior Planner Lance Woods told the board the planning director approved the application Oct. 17, 2025 and that an appeal was filed Nov. 3, 2025. Woods said the property is about 7.7 acres; the applicant estimates about 70–80 vehicles on a typical Sunday, with roughly 220 people attending Sunday services and about 50 at a midweek youth service.

Supporters and the applicant described planned site improvements and mitigation. Jason Arsenault, speaking for the applicant, and others said the project would renovate two accessory structures for church use and…