By Chris Clarke
City council and a prominent Centretown church are gearing up for a legal battle with the Ottawa International Airport after council ignored a staff recommendation and gave the church permission to build a sprawling new home near the airport.
The Metropolitan Bible Church — which is struggling to squeeze its 1,700-member congregation into its current location on Bank Street near Gladstone Avenue — wants to build a new worship complex with a gymnasium, a library, classrooms and pews for 2,000 worshippers on a 6.5-hectare plot in the airport’s noise zone.
The zone, created by city council in 1998 as part of its Official Plan, prohibits developers from building things such as daycares, schools and places of worship in the area. The airport authority fought for the establishment of the zone so it wouldn’t have to worry about noise complaints.
But in early September, city council ignored the advice of its own staff and amended its Official Plan to allow the popular non-denominational church to build a place of worship in the noise zone.
Council supported the church’s application because the proposed location is actually closer to most of the church’s parishioners.
The evangelical church draws worshippers from Nepean, Kanata and Gloucester.
Council’s decision has angered the airport authority president.
“It’s contrary to provincial, federal requirements and goes against the city’s own bylaw,” says Paul Benoit. “The decision was made by a council in its last weeks, facing re-election.”
Now, the airport authority worries the amendment may set a precedent for further residential encroachment into the noise zone. It has filed an appeal of council’s decision to the Ontario Municipal Board, a provincially-appointed tribunal that settles disputes between people, groups or companies and municipal bodies like city council.
At a special meeting on Nov. 26, church members voted to challenge the appeal.
Time is running out for the church. It agreed last December to purchase the property at 7 Deakin St., but that agreement technically expires next month. The property’s owners plan to give the church a 180-day extension, but it’s unclear whether the Ontario Municipal Board will rule in time to salvage the deal.
Church leaders say they’ve run out of lands to purchase that could fit their plans, keep the parish near the city and fall within their budget. They’ve been searching for a new location since 1996.
Marilyn MacCormack, a member of the church for 31 years, has watched the congregation grow beyond the current location’s capacity.
“The church has grown so much that we need property to replace what we’ve outgrown,” she says. “It’s only a few hours on Sunday and mostly evenings during the week.”
To serve its huge congregation, the parish offers four services on Sunday; two services at its main location, and two at Carleton University. The church videotapes its sermons at the Bank Street location and plays them at Carleton later in the morning.
Lack of parking is also a problem at the church. It uses two lots of its own and the lots of nearby businesses on Bank Street. McLeod Street is crowded with overflow cars on Sunday.
— with files from Kelly Patrick