Summerville council approves annexation tied to church project after HOA and church outline deed-restriction talks

Summerville Town Council on May 14 approved annexation and zoning steps connected to a proposed Summerville Methodist Church campus after lengthy public comment from neighborhood residents and church leaders.

Larry Colette, president of the Newington Plantation Estates Homeowners Association, told the council the neighborhood had reached an agreement with Summerville Methodist Church that "gives Newington Plantation Estates a right of first refusal to purchase the property if the church ever decides to sell with at least a 45 day notice" and "places a deed restriction on the property that prohibits multifamily development." Colette thanked church leaders and council members for working toward that outcome.

Ross Chellis, pastor of Summerville Methodist Church, said the congregation intends to "work with the homeowners association, to create a deed restriction" but cautioned that the church’s internal process requires review by the church’s core leadership team and a congregational vote that, under the church bylaws, "would require two-thirds of our congregation to approve." He said the church would involve lawyers to finalize any legal instruments.

Greg Cook, chairman of the church’s core leadership team, told the council the church did not yet have a signed agreement and that church leaders received an offer from the HOA the afternoon of the meeting. Cook described site constraints and assurances: "Fact, this project adds 0 students to an already strained school system because it creates no residential units" and said only about 7.5 of the site’s roughly 39 acres are buildable.

Opponents from the Newington neighborhood urged caution. Mark Balker, a longtime Newington resident, asked the council to delay action for one month until a written deed restriction was in place, saying residents feared a change in zoning could enable multifamily development in the future.

Council discussion focused on reconciling neighborhood protections with the church’s request for multifamily-residential (MFR) zoning to allow a campus-style site plan. A councilwoman who met with both parties reported the meeting produced productive dialogue and said she expected a deed-restriction agreement to be drafted within 30–60 days. Council member Halter announced he would recuse from voting on the second-and-final reading of the Lewton Drive / King Charles Circle annexation ordinance.

After brief council questions — including whether unused land could be placed under a conservation easement — the council voted to approve second-and-final reading of the annexation ordinance for the parcel (clerk read ordinance details at the meeting). The Chair announced "the ayes have it."

What happens next: Council members said they expect any deed restriction and right-of-first-refusal language to be finalized and executed between the church and the HOA, involving legal review and any required congregational vote. The council recorded the annexation action and moved to the next agenda items.