Planners Approve Church Parking

The City Plan Commission voted to allow Fair Haven’s Second Star of Jacob to have fewer parking spaces than required by law, despite hesitations about the church’s expansion.

It was one of several parking-related requests before the commission at its monthly meeting on Wednesday. The commission also approved parking relief for a private school on Newhall Street and approved a sliver lot sale to the school.

Both items were referrals from the Board of Zoning appeals and will return to that panel for final approval in March.

The Second Star of Jacob evangelical church, located at 201 Chapel St., seeks to more than triple its size. The $4 million plan would put an additional 40,000 square feet on the existing 15,000 square foot building.

The expansion calls for 188 parking spaces by law. But the church has only 81 planned. That’s why it needs parking relief from the city.

At last week’s meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals, dozens of parishioners came out in favor of the request. One neighbor — a business owner — opposed the plan. He said his business is blocked on Sundays by churchgoers parked on the sidewalk.

The enormous size of the planned temple startled the commissioners.

“Holey moley!” said chair Ed Mattison, when Deputy Director of Zoning Tom Talbot (at right in top photo) showed him the plans.

The church will accommodate 1,500 worshippers at a time.

“That is a lot of people,” said city engineer Dick Miller.

After some discussion, the commission approved the parking request. Commissioners noted that the church has agreements with two local schools that will host off-site parking on Sundays.

“I hope we’re not sorry. This feels so huge to me,” Mattison said. The effects on the area will be ​“astonishing,” he said. He compared it to putting a baseball stadium in the neighborhood.

“The magnitude of what they’re proposing is very, very large,” Miller said.

Informed that several local aldermen had supported the plan at the BZA, Matteson said, ​“I understand why elected officials talking about 1500 parishioners would support it so vigorously.”

Talbot reminded commissioners that they will have another chance to rule on the plan when the church comes before the commission for its site plan review.

School Parking

With far less discussion, commissioners approved a parking relief request for a private school on Newhall Street. The owner of the school, Haitian immigrant Patrick Myrthil, appeared before the BZA last week seeking permission to have zero parking spaces where the law requires he have four.

Myrthil runs the USA Moving Forward Learning Center, a 5‑year-old GED school that he recently moved to Newhall Street.

The commissioners approved Myrthil’s request. They also approved the sale of a sliver lot to him. The little lot will give him a place for off-street parking, making the first request moot.