Williamsburg City Council Says YES

The Journey has taken another step. I have just returned from the February 14, 2008 Williamsburg City Council meeting. The expansion of the church's fellowship hall (Hospitality Center) was on the agenda and it again passed unanimously.

The Williamsburg Planning Commission presented the proposal with three slides. One slide gave elevation drawings, one slide was a site plan showing the minimal addition in relation to our property, and the third slide presented a front image of the existing fellowship hall and sanctuary along with a rendering of how the addition would change the Jamestown Road view.

Council ask several questions regarding parking and the impact on neighbors. Terry Tyler spoke to the issue saying the Fellowship Hall addition was primarily to serve exisiting needs and does not enlarge our people capacity greater than the existing sanctuary. He also shared that from time-to-time we park across at Holly Hills but that we also have an informal arrangement with the Holly Hills neighborhood as they also use our facilities.

Council applauded our communication with neighbors and then voted approval of the addition. One councilman again reiterated that good communities need good churches and that Williamsburg has seen some churches relocate out of the city because of their inability to expand. He strongly endorsed our proposal. Terry Tyler, Church Moderator and Jim Bylerly, our architect from Huff Morris Associates along with myself were present for the meeting.

This is final hurdle regarding public hearings. There are additional drawings and questions to be answered for the Planning Commission to obtain our Building Permit but all of these can now receive internal or administrative approval. The Journey continues to be a positive one.