Church Parking Lot Hearing Postponed

A Haddonfield zoning board hearing Tuesday for an application to allow parking on an open grass lot owned by the First Church of Christ, Scientist has been postponed.

Borough officials said the church did not submit revisions to the plan 10 days before the meeting. The hearing was pushed back to the Oct. 15 zoning board meeting. The zoning board will still meet 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Municipal Hall to consider other applications.

The issue has generated a lot of heat from a cadre of neighbors near the church, at 355 Kings Highway East. The lot opening is on Sylvan Lake Avenue. Dozens of neighbors have turned out for two previous borough land-use board meetings considering the requests.

Despite the protests, the Historic Preservation Commission and the planning board have approved the proposal in split votes. The final hurdle is a use variance from the zoning board.

“This is a residential neighborhood,” said Mary Previte, 81, a Roberts Avenue resident and church neighbor. “This would be the first time since the historic preservation ordinance was established that a new parking lot would be established in the historic district.”

Previte said Mayor Jeff Kasko had expressed an interest in helping neighbors reach a compromise with the church. But Kasko said Monday he could not intervene because it could cause a conflict of interest. The borough Board of Commissioners, which Kasko is part of, would hear any appeal of a zoning board ruling.