Dispute over church redevelopment headed to court
An attempt to turn a one-time Episcopal church into a hotel, events center, and restaurant in the Finger Lakes region of north central New York is headed back to court.
Opponents of the redevelopment of Trinity Episcopal Church in Geneva have twice taken legal action in an attempt to scuttle a zoning variance for the project, according to a report in the Finger Lakes Times. The latest case is scheduled to go before a judge Sept. 10.
Opponents say none of the components of the proposed development are permitted in that area of the town of 13,000.
“The repurposing of the church should be done in accordance with existing zoning code,” plaintiff Barbara Roesch Rokow told the Times. “We really feel it would be detrimental to our neighborhood.”
Meanwhile, an attempt by a church in Fort Collins, Colorado to provide lockers to homeless individuals that will be accessible on a round-the-clock basis has crossed its first hurdle with approval from the city’s zoning and planning commission.
The Fort Collins Mennonite Fellowship will have to provide continuous security camera monitoring of the lockers.
However, the commission’s decision can still be appealed.
