A planned expansion that will add Sunday School rooms and meeting spaces to The Seven Lakes Chapel in the Pines was approved unanimously by the Moore County Planning Board on Thursday, May 5.
Peggy Olson, Chair of the Chapel Board, told Planning Board members that the expansion would answer a need for meeting space in Seven Lakes -- for example, to accommodate a growing support group for those caring for those suffering with Alzheimer's Disease or other forms of dementia.
Because the 3.5 acre property on which the Chapel sits is zoned Gated Community - Seven Lakes, a primarily residential designation, the church must obtain a conditional use zoning permit, which is what the Planning Board approved Thursday night.
No one spoke in opposition to the expansion, and only Board member Robert Hayter addressed the issue, asking whether there was sufficient parking to support the expansion. Planner Tim Garner explained that only sanctuary capacity is counted toward parking space requirements in the county's zoning ordinance. Since the Chapel addition will not increase the size of the sanctuary, the parking issue was moot.
However, Olson assured the Board that the Chapel's current gravel parking lots exceed the county's requirements based on the size of the sanctuary. She added that a lower parking lot may see more use once the addition is built, because it will include a lower level entrance and an elevator and stairs.
Planning Board member Dave Kinney, a longtime Seven Lakes resident who now lives in Southern Pines, recused himself from the matter because of his association with the Chapel.
Aeromodelers Seek Zoning Permit
Planning Director Joey Raczkowski told the Planning Board that the Seven Lakes Aeromodelers Club has applied for a zoning permit that would allow them to continue to fly their radio-controlled planes on a 60-acre tract on NC Highway 73 near West End.
The Club's use of the property was the subject of a complaint from the owners of an adjacent ten-acre vacant tract, whose attorney complained about noise and traffic during the April meeting of the Board.
The Planning Staff continues to work on refinements to the zoning ordinance that would help define what types of outdoor recreation are permitted in which zoning districts, Raczkowski said. But those refinements are a separate matter from the complaint.
Raczkowski told The Times that seeking a Zoning Permit is the typically the first step in changing how a property is used; the Aeromodelers Club was unaware that a permit was needed for their use of the 60-acre property.
Once the application is filed, the Planning Staff will either approve or disapprove it, based on the current ordinance. If that decision doesn't satisfy either the Club or the complaining property owner, they can appeal the staff decision to the Board of Equalization and Review.
That procedure assures each party due process in the matter, Raczkowski told The Times.
Other Business
In other business during its Thursday, May 5 meeting, the Moore County Planning Board:
• Unanimously approved rules for Public Hearings that imposes no time limit on speakers.
• Received for review a final draft of the Small Area A Annual Report. Approval of the report is likely to be on the Board's June Agenda.
• Learned that the Planning Staff will present the Board with a new draft of the Unified Development Ordinance for review at the August meeting, after incorporating changes already suggested, or suggested between now and August, by Board members. This reflects a change in the process as originally envisioned, which would have required the Board to work its way through the ordinance at least twice. Also at the August meeting, the staff will present for Board consideration changes to the ordinance suggested by members of the public, the Board of Commissioners, and homebuilders.
