Neighbors had steeled themselves for a vigorous debate on a church expansion proposal Thursday night, but the issue was defused when the church withdrew its special use request.

Bradley-Epworth United Methodist Church, 1314 W. Columbia Terrace, has been acquiring property for the past few years. They purchased 1215 N. University St., adjacent to the church, in September 2004, and in 2005 got a special use permit to house its student ministries there. Since then, the church has purchased two more homes on University (1205 and 1207) and the house at 1216 N. Elmwood, which is also adjacent to the church. They currently use the homes at 1205 and 1207 University as rental property. The Elmwood house is vacant.

The stated long-range plan was to acquire up to ten properties, leave the houses intact, but use them for ministry purposes, such as a 24-hour house of prayer, a coffee shop, etc. They would also pave the back yards of the properties to provide additional parking for the church.

Church officials recently requested a special use permit for the Elmwood property to use the house for church offices.

The church is located in the Uplands neighborhood. The Uplands Residential Association voted in favor of the church’s special use request in June 2007. However, several URA members — including several Elmwood Ave. residents — complained that they were not informed a vote was going to be taken on the special use request at that meeting. Only nine people attended the June 2007 meeting.

The issue was on the agenda again Thursday because the one of the intended uses of the property was to house guest speakers overnight in one of the bedrooms of the Elmwood house. That use was not approved at the June 2007 meeting because it wasn’t presented as part of the special use request. Church and URA officials mistakenly believed that overnight stays would not have to be specified in the special use request since the house is already zoned residential. When they found out that all uses had to be specified, URA officials brought it back to the Association for a vote.

But the vote never happened.

Jerry Jackson, Second VP of the Association and chairman of the Associations’ Zoning and Land Use Committee, read a short e-mail from Bradley-Epworth pastor Tom Eckhardt. Here’s the e-mail, reprinted in its entirety:

Jerry [Jackson] and Bernie [Goitein, URA President],

I wanted to let you know that Bradley Epworth Church is withdrawing its request to the city for special use zoning of the property at 1216 N. Elmwood. In addition, we no longer plan to use our properties currently zoned as residential for any purpose other than residential, specifically that there will be no effort on our part to put in parking for the church behind the University properties or anywhere else.

Tom Eckhardt
Pastor, Bradley Epworth Church

Jackson also stated that it was his understanding the church would be divesting themselves of the properties at 1205 and 1207 N. University, and that the church is looking for an alternative site to hold their largest worship service.

No reason for the change in plans was given.

Several Elmwood Ave. residents published an article in the neighborhood newsletter, The Uplander, outlining their concerns about the church’s recent acquisitions and expansion plans. It’s unknown whether the article’s publication prompted the church to reconsider its special use request.

After the e-mail was read, several members in attendance indicated they felt this was a positive development for the neighborhood. However, one couple that spoke at the meeting thought it was a negative, saying they were worried that the houses on University would fall into the hands of a slumlord. If that happened, they said it would negatively affect their property, since they live across the alley from those houses.