From an email Pastor Don sent a few weeks ago:
In case you missed it, CRC had another front-page article in the Valley News recently (the fourth or so in the past couple of years, all quite positive!). You can find the article here..
With the Hanover Planning Board meeting scheduled (details on the events page), we had once again contacted the newspaper to let them know where we are in the process. Thanks once again to reporter Rob Wolf for a nice write up!
Although it is a good article, as always, there are few points of clarification:
- The article states that we “withdrew” our “original plans”. This is technically incorrect. We actually amended them.
- The article stated the size of the church as “13,400-square-foot, two story”. The footprint is actually 11,591. The 13,400-number includes porches and overhangs.
- There were several statements citing some neighbors concerns about the size of the building and parking. What is not clearly stated is the fact that the footprint of our building will be smaller than a building three doors down and relatively modest compared to a number of the residences in the immediate vicinity. Moreover, the paved surface in our proposal is a fraction of that in the two recent developments that are adjacent.
We appreciate the concerns that some neighbors have raised, even going out of our way to create dialogue with anyone willing to talk. Nonetheless, the zoning laws of Hanover clearly prefer houses of worship in residential zones and not in commercial zones. Practically speaking, new houses of worship must be built in residential areas. To test this, we previously tried for both a zoning variance as well as a change in zoning laws to allow churches in commercial zones. Both attempts were denied.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact any of elders or building committee members.