Norristown council hears proposal for Spanish‑speaking house of worship; council maintains neutral stance

Steven Sha, planner and grants coordinator for Norristown planning staff, introduced a proposal to consolidate 336 and 338 East Airy Street for a house of worship to be operated by the King of Prussia Church of Christ. Applicant representatives included John Paneza (project lead), Dan Lions of Fox Rothschild (land-use counsel), engineer Daniela Yasbach of Kimley-Horn, and Mark Paganov, minister.

John Paneza and Dan Lions said the proposal seeks a special exception to permit a house of worship in the TC2 (Town Center 2) zoning district and a dimensional variance because the combined lot is undersized (about 8,856 sq ft versus a 10,000-sq-ft minimum for the use). "The project brings the impervious-surface ratio down from 100% to roughly 54% and adds landscaping," Dan Lions said. He also said the applicants would not seek any real-estate tax abatement and would pay property taxes on the site.

Engineer Daniela Yasbach described a proposed 2,400-square-foot building with covered porch, ADA access, walkways and landscaping; she said the project would reduce impervious surface by about 44 percentage points and include a rear drop-off/loading area. Minister Mark Paganov described the congregation’s outreach to Spanish-speaking residents and said the church expects modest, slow growth and anticipates many attendees arriving by walking or public transit.

Council members focused on parking, circulation and neighborhood impacts. Councilman David McMahon and others asked whether the proposed drop-off would be sufficient and how Sundays would affect on‑street parking for neighbors. The applicants said the site has no required off-street parking, that no parking is currently proposed, and that they could explore adding pull-in spaces at the rear via Carson Alley (an option the engineer said could yield one ADA and six to eight regular parking stalls while remaining within a 75% impervious-surface maximum).

Applicants requested either a council position of support or a neutral stance for the zoning-hearing-board process; Council took a neutral position while urging the applicants to consult residents and return with parking solutions if needed. Panelists promised to meet with neighbors and adjust plans where feasible.

Next steps: Applicants will proceed with the zoning-hearing-board process; council directed staff to treat the borough’s default posture as neutral rather than opposed, and applicants were asked to report back on neighborhood outreach and any parking plan changes.