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Council approves development agreement to restore Old Purple Church and allow office building with traffic study requirement
Summary
Council unanimously approved a development agreement and rezoning to preserve and adaptively reuse the 1926 'Old Purple Church' as an event center while permitting a three-story, 45-foot office building to help fund restoration; council asked that a traffic assessment be included in the development agreement.
Planning staff presented a development and rezoning package for the property at 10353 South Temple Drive (the “Old Purple Church” site) proposing to rezone the parcel from agricultural to Community Commercial with a planned development overlay and to authorize a development agreement with Destinations Inc. Planner Miguel Aguilera summarized the proposal: preserve the historic chapel, add rear additions for event support (kitchens, restrooms, bridal/groom suites), and allow a roughly 24,000-square-foot, three-story (reduced from 50 to 45 feet) office building; staff recommended approval, noting shared parking agreements with neighboring properties and a proposed total of about 216 shared spaces across three parcels with roughly 91 stalls on-site for the chapel project.
Applicant Kip Lambert (Destinations Inc) described plans to restore the century-old chapel as an event center that would host weddings and occasional corporate events, to retain and display artworks from the Frotton family, and to work with neighbors on shared parking and driveway relocation to improve emergency access. Property owners Ted and Anne Frotton (present at the hearing) urged council support and described the building’s architectural history (built 1926; architect Don Carlos Young).
Residents who spoke generally supported preservation but raised traffic, parking, noise and visual-impact concerns related to the proposed 45-foot office building and potential peak-hour queuing on 1300 West (4–6 p.m.). Engineering staff (Clavino) said a turning-movement assessment or targeted traffic assessment could be required at site-plan review and that the city contracts with a traffic-engineering firm (paid by the developer) to prepare analyses.
Council member Johnson moved to approve Resolution R2026-03 authorizing the mayor to enter a development agreement with Destinations Inc; Councilmember Ander seconded. Councilmember Shelton asked to amend the motion to explicitly require a traffic assessment in the development agreement; the amendment was accepted as friendly. The council then voted unanimously on the resolution and subsequently approved zoning ordinance 2026-02-Z rezoning the parcel to Community Commercial with a planned development overlay. Mayor Dawn Ramsey praised the preservation outcome and acknowledged the Frotton family’s contribution. Staff will require standard site-plan reviews, traffic assessment(s) and compliance with easements and clear-vision-triangle requirements before building permits are issued.
