Church plan meets opposition

By: Rebecca Weltmann
   WASHINGTON — Lynn D’Amico has lived on Walters Road for about 11 years with her husband, Frank, and their two children. For the past few years, traffic on her road has been minimal, which she said has been nice for her kids to ride their bikes.
   Now, Ms. D’Amico is joining a group of other residents on Walters Road to voice their opposition to plans to locate a Catholic church at the corner of her street and Old York Road.
   Citizens of Walters Road, made up of about 30 people, planned to make their opposition known at the Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting yesterday (Wednesday), after press time. The church slated to be built there would be owned by the Diocese of Trenton. Currently, Anna Meshachek owns the land.
   Residents are concerned that an increase in traffic generated by the church could greatly increase the chance of an accident to pedestrians or bicyclists because Walters Road has no sidewalks or streetlights.
   "We’re not opposed to the Catholic Church or to the Diocese of Trenton," Ms. D’Amico said. "We’re opposed to the township granting variances for the church to be built on a rural residential property. I worry that it’s going to set a precedent in Washington Township that other religious entities can come into rural residential areas and construct other churches very easily. There’s not a lot of rural residential land left in the township and I just feel the church going on Walters Road will put a burden on the township since they won’t be bringing in any rateables or paying property taxes."
   At the meeting Wednesday, the zoning board was slated to hear public comments about a land use variance sought by the Diocese of Trenton. The Diocese requested that the zoning board approve a variance to allow the construction of a 11,400-square- foot church on an 11.4-acre site, which is currently zoned as a rural residential property. The site has an existing farmhouse, which the diocese proposed would be turned into a rectory.
   The zoning board declined to comment until after the meeting. Representatives from the diocese did not return calls.
   "The Diocese of Trenton just sold a church on Route 130," she said. "I don’t see why they couldn’t have redeveloped or reconstructed a church where St. Mary’s was. Also, the diocese has been closing and consolidating Catholic churches and schools, so I don’t know why they feel this need to build another church on this property when they have been consolidating so many other churches."

   

For continuing coverage of the zoning board’s decision, visit The Messenger-Press Web site at www.messengerpress.com and check out the April 12 edition.