Board rejects church rezone

SANDPOINT — A Dover-based developer's plan to rezone St. Joseph's Catholic Church from residential to commercial hit a snag Tuesday when the planning commission recommended the City Council deny the request.

Bruce Pedersen, who is in the process of purchasing the church, asked the commission to rezone the Oak Street building and several surrounding lots from their current Residential B to the more intensive Commercial D zone.

Pedersen did not specify his plans for the property, but said his goal is to preserve the 100-year-old structure and introduce a housing element to the property. Commercial D is one of the city's highest intensity zones and allows for a number of uses, including banks, hotels and liquor stores.

Residents opposed to the rezone showed up in mass at the commission meeting to air their grievances about the proposed change. Among the most discussed were the lack of transparency on Pedersen's part and the damage "commercial creep" can do to a residential neighborhood.

"Commercial D opens up a whole world of possibilities," said Carol Camp. "The concern is that when commercial comes into a neighborhood, the neighborhood deteriorates."

In his presentation to the commission, Pedersen stressed that the rezone is in line with the city's proposed Comprehensive Plan and does not constitute "spot zoning."

"The city has spent time and money on the Comp Plan, and this zone change is in total congruence with that plan," Pedersen said.

Pedersen also argued that rezoning the church would promote infill housing and lessen urban sprawl in Sandpoint.

Without a zone change, the church property would be essentially useless to him, said Pedersen.

"I don't happen to be a minister, so with this conditional use I don't have a lot of use for the church," Pedersen said.

In the end, the commission decided the change from Residential B to Commercial D was too abrupt and not fitting with the character of the existing neighborhood and voted 3-2 against the request.

The full City Council will have the final say on the matter when it hears Pedersen's request at its August council meeting.