Rolling Meadows church expansion approved over neighbors’ objections

St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church expansion plans calling for a gymnasium, day care and youth retreat center sailed through the Rolling Meadows City Council Tuesday night over the objections of residents in the adjacent unincorporated neighborhood.

An attorney representing the Plum Grove Estates Property Owner’s Association board of directors said the church property along Route 53 is bound by association covenants that would bar the two-story, 26,000-square-foot building addition.

But City Attorney Melissa Wolf said the covenants had no bearing on the council’s 6-0 decision to grant the project a special use permit, saying the restrictions didn’t extend to the northern portion of the church property on which the addition is to be constructed.

Even still, said Wolf and Mayor Lara Sanoica, the city council’s zoning decision operates independently and is not bound by those private agreements.

The Rev. David Hanna, vice president of the church’s board, said not only is the expansion project in line with the covenants of Plum Grove Estates, but it’s also in line with the covenants of God.

“As a church, we love covenants. We are children of a covenant,” Hanna said. “It’s kind of our thing.”

Church leaders have said the new building would address a critical shortage of licensed day care in the area, and the gym would provide needed space for sports and fitness classes. A number of youth came to the council meeting to testify for the need of a safe place to gather with friends, exercise and stay active.

But neighbors said a gym isn’t the right fit in the residential area of ranch homes and spacious lots.

“The scale and appearance of the building is disproportionate to the surrounding homes,” said Carolina Blume, who lives across the street from where it will be built. “This is a huge building resembling a warehouse in a residential community.”

Mary Crook, who lives across the street from nearby Salt Creek, worried that the project will exacerbate flooding in the area.

And Jim Nicosia called the potential for cut-through traffic “troubling.”

“How do you add a day care center, overnight retreat, gymnasium, associated support vehicles and have zero (traffic) impact?” he said.

In response to residents’ concerns, city officials added language to their ordinance that will require the church to install a locked gate in its parking lot to mitigate the potential for additional traffic on Meadow Lane. The gate could only be open for worship services and special events, under the rules.

In their support of the project, some aldermen cited the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, which generally prohibits them from enforcing zoning laws that place a substantial burden on religious exercise.

“My own church has a gymnasium, a day care center, and host retreats as well,” said Alderman Nick Budmats. “So for me this is not a special use, but a typical use for a church. I have a difficult time saying no to this church when my own church does these very same things.”