Council to discuss church daycare

Published 10:55 pm Monday, February 13, 2012

City Council members will hold public hearings on a conditional use permit request on a Nansemond Parkway church and leases for hangars at Suffolk Executive Airport during their meeting Wednesday.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Council chambers, 441 Market St. It is preceded by a work session at 5 p.m.

The public hearing on the conditional use permit is for Tabernacle Baptist Church, 3621 Nansemond Parkway. The church hopes to run a daycare to provide a service to the community and help supplement the church’s income.

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The only problem is that city traffic engineers have recommended that the church be required to install turn lanes, which would be prohibitively expensive, church officials have said.

The Planning Commission has twice approved a requirement that the turn lanes be installed. The City Council sent the request back to the Planning Commission after the church changed the opening and closing hours for the daycare in an attempt to avoid the turn-lane requirement, but the planners again recommended turn lanes.

A public hearing also will be held to receive comment on an ordinance for new and renewing contracts for leases at the airport during the next year.

A third public hearing will be held to rezone a property in the 1100 block of Myrtle Street from residential low-medium density to general commercial.

A staff report from the Agricultural, Forest and Open Space Advisory Committee also will be heard during the meeting.

At the work session, the City Council will hear a quarterly budget project report and updates on West Washington Street improvements.