Council approves conditional use permit for Saint Joseph of Optina with delayed traffic improvement option

Council approved the conditional use permit (PLNUSE2023-018) for Saint Joseph of Optina Russian Orthodox Church by a 9-0 vote, subject to stipulations including revised stipulation #1 (the planning director's Option 4 language). Applicant counsel Lisa Murphy said the congregation currently numbers 20–30 members and that the proposed Phase 1 fellowship hall and modest parking will have a negligible effect on Battlefield Boulevard South. Murphy said most of the 24.7-acre parcel is wetlands and the initial buildable portion is roughly 5 acres.

Murphy told council that building a left-turn lane as part of Phase 1 would require paving and right-of-way work that could cost between "$350 and $500,000," and she said staff's Option 4 — which requires full traffic analysis and construction of warranted improvements at the time the church advances to Phase 2 — was acceptable to the applicant. "The cost of the road improvement… would cost between 350 and $500,000," Murphy said. Council debated a substitute motion to require the turn lane in Phase 1 but the substitute failed; the primary motion adopting Option 4 passed 9-0.

What it means: The approval allows the church to proceed with phase‑1 construction (fellowship hall and limited parking) with a requirement that if the congregation grows and Phase 2 is proposed, a traffic study and any warranted improvements would be required at that time. Council members discussed safety concerns on South Battlefield Boulevard and the potential to share costs for future access improvements.