By Greg Forester / Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — The Church of St. David the King has received unanimous Planning Board approval for plans that call for a 24,000-square-foot expansion that will eventually provide additional space for parish activities.
The only catch in the approval was a facetious condition of approval that the pastor of the church, Father Tim Capewell, "pray for the well-being of the members of the Planning Board," according to Planning Board Chairman Marvin Gardner.
Besides that, approval for the addition plans went off without a hitch earlier this month, and church officials await building permits and some other approvals that will allow them to get started on the first addition in the history of the 18-year-old structure.
Components of the addition include a large gathering space for parish events, new classrooms for religious education, a memorial prayer garden, additional conference rooms for bible study and other uses, and additional office space for a growing Catholic church that now serves over 1,800 families.
The only real concerns about the addition came from some neighbors living in homes on property adjacent to the rear of the church where the planned addition will eventually be constructed.
Homeowners there apparently contacted Planning Board officials with concerns that the new addition would visually impact their residences.
Mr. Gardner said he visited the site, at the intersection of Penn Lyle Road and New Village Road.
Having observed the layout of the church in relation to the residences, it was decided that existing buffers and plans for the transplanting of dozens of trees and bushes were sufficient to address the issue, Mr. Gardner said.
The only other potential issue for the approvals was traffic generated by the addition, but it was decided that because church activities generally take place in the evening and on weekend days, there would be little traffic impact on the surrounding roadways.

