Southeast Church Proposes Pavilion for Empty Property
A small open field between North Brewster Road and Route 312 could see church services start taking place if a development of small pavilion is approved for the site.
Grace Assembly of God, a Southeast based Christian congregation, went before the Southeast town board Thursday night to note a change made to its proposal that would give the church the capability of holding services from Spring to Fall. Originally, the proposal was for a large, enclosed tent to be placed on the property, but Jamie Kieper of Insite Engineering, Surveying, and Landscape Architecture, hired by the church, revealed Grace Assembly of God now would like to construct a pavilion instead.
Additionally, Kieper said the project would also yield a parking lot of more than 30 spaces and a small utility shed. The property was previously a single-family residence.
Kieper said because of comments received from residents from nearby homes, the church thought the pavilion would be a better alternative than the tent. While the pavilion would be a year round structure, it would only be used for six months of the year.
“We want to be good neighbors,” pastor Ray Mellet said.
Right now, services are usually held at H.H. Wells Middle School.
Town attorney Will Stephens said there are a number of conditions of the special permit the church would need that it doesn’t meet in a residential zone and are generally not variable.
“I think there’s a legal issue that has to be resolved as to whether or not you can seek a variance for that,” Stephens said, who noted the development doesn’t meet the setback requirement from the adjoining property line.
