Jackson church violates zoning, city says

A Jackson church could face a judgment day on Earth if it does not correct a zoning violation concerning its property.

City attorney Tom Ludwig filed a petition Friday asking the court to set a deadline for Good News Christian Center to stop using its land at 1320 Old Cape Road as a machine shop and truck refrigeration unit warehouse.

The church buys and sells the cooling units with the profits going to missions, said pastor Johnny Seabaugh. The units can be seen stacked side-by-side from a nearby residential street and from Shawnee Boulevard.

Seabaugh said the church is in the process of moving the units to another location but cannot do so until the weather improves.

The problem, said city building and planning superintendent Janet Sanders, is that the church property is zoned for commercial use, and a machine shop or warehouse requires an industrial zoning status.

The church has missed a Feb. 9 city-imposed deadline to conform with the zoning ordinances.

Ludwig said the city doesn't want to get into any ugly dispute.

"What I hope is that they get the petition and do whatever needs to be done to correct the problem," he said. "Regardless of why they're using it, it doesn't matter; they're still violating the ordinance.

"We're happy to work with them to bring them into compliance."

Police visit

Seabaugh said the shop has been at the church for quite some time, and one day police showed up saying the church had to get a business license.

"I thought it was silly, but if they want us to have a license, I said we'd get a license. It only cost 12 bucks," he said. "Technically, we don't operate a machine shop. They said we needed a license, so we got a license."

But now, the church is violating the city's zoning requirements and, if the matter ended up going to court and if the church was found guilty, a fine of $10 to $100 per day could be enforced, Sanders said.

Sanders said the city is acting on a complaint made by an unknown source.

Ludwig said this is not a case where separation of church and state will be an issue.

"The rules that apply to a machine shop still apply to a machine shop," he said. "If it was a matter of church business, it would be a different matter."

The machine shop is supervised by Jack Priest, who declined to comment on the case. Priest had been involved in a separate, drawn-out disagreement with the city regarding the rezoning of his own property in the vicinity of Shawnee Boulevard and East Main Street. Rezoning of that property, from single family residential to general residential and general commercial was approved last November, more than two years after the issue was raised. Some neighbors to that site had complained about trailers and refridgeration units marring their view.

Unwanted eyesores

Connie Keller, of 1410 Parkwood Circle, can see a line of the refrigeration units at the church from her front door. She said she did not complain about the eyesores, but she'll be glad when they're gone.

"I didn't know anyone could do anything about it," she said. "I just see them pile up more. I don't see them leave."

Seabaugh said the church has been in the process of trying to get the area cleaned up for some time.

"Since the first of the year, our goal was to move it away from here," he said. "We called and told the city the problem was we can't move anything until the weather gets better. You can't drive across the parking lot for all the ice and snow."

The Good News Christian Center averages about 30 to 40 people in attendance every Sunday. It also provides a five-day-a-week daycare.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635