Planning commission holds church application over dome height and parking concerns

The Clark County Planning Commission on Sept. 1 voted to hold a use permit and design-review request for a proposed Ethiopian Orthodox church for two weeks, directing the applicant to return with line-of-sight renderings, clarified occupancy and parking information, and a landscaping plan to mitigate impacts on nearby homes.

Lucy Stewart, representing the applicant, said the church had reduced its requested architectural height and proposed conditions to limit impacts: “We are agreeing to put in a condition of a maximum height of the dome at 90 feet with additional feet for the cross,” she told the commission. Stewart and the project team described the main building bulk as roughly 30–38 feet, with the dome and corner architectural features extending above that.

Neighbors urged denial. Ralph Wenger, a property owner immediately east of the site, told the commission the proposal would harm a long-established residential estate and said staff had recommended denial of the 112-foot waiver: “Please stand behind us on this 1 and deny,” he said. Tom Shelton, another nearby resident, told commissioners the neighborhood is a rural-preservation area and that the church’s scale felt out of character.

Commissioners pressed the applicants on sight-lines, parking and potential occupancy. The project team said the main building contains roughly 9,882–10,000 square feet of usable area; using the square-footage method, they noted that could translate to a theoretical maximum occupancy of about 1,400, though several team members said the congregation does not currently have that many members. Commissioners sought a defensible occupancy estimate tied to code compliance and fire-department review and asked the applicant to demonstrate how many people would reasonably attend peak services and how parking and pedestrian crossings would be managed.

The commission also requested clearer visualizations showing how the dome and cross would appear from adjacent yards. Commissioner Kirk asked for line-of-sight renderings so residents can “know what he’s gonna be looking at when he stands in his backyard.” Public works staff said mid-block crosswalks typically require a warrant and flasher and recommended the applicant work with public works to evaluate pedestrian mitigation options.

Commissioners discussed legal constraints as well. Rob, the county’s district attorney, reminded the commission that federal law protecting places of worship establishes a high standard for denial and requires a compelling justification to reject a place-of-worship use permit. On that basis, commissioners said they wanted evidence and mitigation before a final decision rather than a denial without that record.

The commission’s action was to hold the item for two weeks and return on Sept. 15 so the applicant can provide the requested materials and engage further with the neighbors and staff. No final vote on the waivers or use permit occurred at the meeting.