Thomas MacMillan Photo
A flock of churchgoers showed up at the Hall of Records on Tuesday night, looking for more room to worship.
More than 30 members of Fair Haven’s Second Star of Jacob Church came to the monthly meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals. They were there to support the church’s request for permission to expand.
The church seeks a variance to permit a larger building than zoning regulations otherwise allow. The church is also looking for parking relief, which means the matter has been sent to the City Plan Commission. The BZA will vote on it at its next meeting.
The issue of parking drew a lone voice of opposition to Tuesday’s meeting. Enrique Rosado, who runs a business across from the church, said his doors are blocked on most Sundays by cars parked on the sidewalk.
The 15,000-square-foot church has been at 201 Chapel St. for 33 years. The church now seeks to put on an addition of about 40,000 square feet, with 40 spots of underground parking. The $4 million plan calls for the demolition of three houses on Chapel Street.
About 35 people stood in support of this proposal at Tuesday’s meeting. Fair Haven Alderwoman Migdalia Castro and Hill Alderman Jorge Perez spoke in favor of the plan. Perez said the church is one of the fastest growing in New Haven.
When BZA Chair Cathy Weber asked if there was any opposition to the plan, only Rosado (pictured) stood. Wearing work clothes and paint-spattered boots, he apologized for his appearance. He said he had just come from work. He runs a business that makes architectural screens for international clients.
“I work very hard,” he said. He usually works seven days a week. That becomes a problem on Sundays because cars block his loading area, he said.
“It’s a traffic jam and cars are parked everywhere,” he said.
“Let’s ask the pastor,” said Weber. “You heard the gentleman’s concerns. Could you help him with that?”
“It’s the first time I’ve heard of it,” said Pastor Elicio Aponte (center in top photo). There are other churches nearby, he said.
Associate Pastor Isaias Miranda (at right in top photo) said that the church has made announcements asking its members not to park on the sidewalk. “We have addressed the problem,” he said.
After the testimony, Rosado was not optimistic. “I don’t see how it’s going to change,” he said. There’s plenty of parking around the corner, but people don’t want to walk that far, he said. It’s human nature, he added.
Miranda again said that the church has addressed the parking problem. The church has agreements allowing it to use parking lots at two local schools. There are vans to shuttle churchgoers from the parking lots to the church.
“There is ample parking,” Miranda said. Still, “every once in a while some knucklehead comes in,” and parks in the wrong spot, he said. “It’s nothing that can’t be resolved.”
The church should take Mr. Rosado's concerns much more seriously and so should the BZA. As a neighbor, I can attest to the fact that Second Star's congregants park all over the place, on side walks, blocking driveways, etc.
Putting church leaders outside to corral parkers for a few weeks to get this under control would show respect for neighbors would go a long way.
Right now it's parking crazy and this will make it much worse. Unless there are changes we should expect that it will be hard to improve either the business or residential climate.