Plymouth officials OK megachurch's move onto farmland after lawsuit threat

Faced with threats of a lawsuit, the Plymouth City Council voted to allow a new megachurch to build in the west-metro suburb, reversing a previous vote to deny Eagle Brook Church.

The resolution to reject the planned church failed by an even 3-3 vote, as many in the audience wore name tags bearing the word "Deny!" The move would have passed with one additional yes vote.

The council later approved the church's application, with several conditions added, by a vote of 4-2.

Julie Peterson was the most vocal City Council member raising concerns about traffic that could result from building the 64,000-square-foot building with 685 parking spots at the northwest corner of Chankahda Trail and Maple Grove Parkway. Ultimately she was one of the three dissenting votes, instead suggesting there be a motion to build a second entrance to mitigate traffic.

"If that's the way to avoid getting sued," Peterson said.

Mayor Jeffry Wosje, Peterson and Council Member Clark Gregor voted against the resolution to reject the church. Jim Willis, Julie Pointner and Alise McGregorvoted to reject the new church.

The council added three conditions before approving the church's application in the 4-2 vote. Those included adding a second vehicle entrance for the site, creating a "softer" look for the backside of the building, and adjusting the landscaping to minimize impacts on neighbors.

Council Members Willis and McGregor voted no on the adjusted plan, while Wosje, Peterson, Gregor and Pointner voted yes.

More than 15 residents of the area spoke against allowing the church to build while three spoke in support of the church. The criticisms included that the large church would lead to traffic jams, especially during peak usage during services on Sundays.

"The cars have to get there somehow, and they're going to queue on streets that I need to use to get places on weekends," said Mary Lonergan-Cullum. "The church does not fit with the rest of the surrounding community, both in terms of scale and from looking at the renderings tonight."

The church issue took up most of the four-hour-long meeting, which also included questions for a traffic engineer, who said that the main delays would be for churchgoers during peak hours on Sundays.

Last month, the council voted 6-1 to reject Eagle Brook's plan. Council members voiced concerns about increased traffic and that the site, the last large parcel of undeveloped farmland in the city, might be better used for affordable housing.

Attorneys representing Eagle Brook Church said this week they would sue the city if the council upheld that decision.

"There is no lawful basis to deny such permission," attorney Samuel Diehl with the Minneapolis law firm CrossCastle PLLC. wrote in a letter to the city. "If the Council chooses this regrettable course, Eagle Brook will pursue litigation."