The most recent occupant was Silver Moon Distributors.
The religious goods store has been vacant for five years, and the handsome brick building that houses it may well have been a church a century ago.
It will be a church now.
That’s because the Redeemed Christian Church of God won approval at Wednesday night’s City Plan Commission meeting to permit five onsite parking spaces where 17 are required according to zoning code for a church on this spot at 275 Poplar St. location.
Even though the congregation is small, how might only five spaces be enough for when the congregation gathers on Sunday morning and at other times?
Enter a public parking lot with 21 spaces immediately adjacent to the property.
Parking for worship in a manner that doesn’t clog up the busy Poplar Street/Grand Avenue intersection, where the future church is located, will be made possible because the building abuts the Grand/Poplar public parking lot on that corner.
Following on a referral from the Board of Zoning Appeals earlier this month, the commissioners Wednesday night accepted the argument made by the church’s pastor, Isaac Adje, that when the church is most busy, Sunday mornings, the public lot is relatively empty.
Earlier this month, when he presented photographs of the municipal lot to bolster his case, 20 members of the Redeemed Church of God were also at the BZA to support the application.
The commissioners agreed as long as the city’s department of Traffic and Parking had signed off on the plan.
They had, Deputy City Plan Director Tom Talbot assured them.
The vote was unanimous.
The City Plan staff report states that the property was believed to house a church in the late 19th and 20th century.
