(March 17, 2016) Opening the door to what could be a flurry of development at the northern end of Main Street in Berlin, the town’s planning commission approved a rezoning and text amendment request by SonRise Church during a public meeting at Town Hall last Wednesday.
SonRise has a conditional agreement to buy the 22-acre former Select Laboratories property from Merial Select, with the intention of building a new parish on part of it, then subdividing the remaining land and selling that to commercial developers.
Attorney Robert Taylor, representing the church, said doing so would allow SonRise to fund its own redevelopment of the property into a 9-acre parish and religious complex.
Two things were at issue. The parcel, located on 10026 Main Street, near Route 50 and Route 113, is zoned M-1 light industrial. SonRise asked the commission to rezone the property into either the B-2 or B-3 commercial districts, and then grant an amendment to the zoning code allowing churches in those districts.
At present, the Berlin code only allows churches in R-1 residential zones.
Around 1960, the property was used to produce poultry vaccines. It was sold in 1964 to Abbott Laboratories Inc., then again in 1979 to a subsidiary of French pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
Merial Select, a firm associated with Sanofi, was the most-recent resident there, although it ceased production roughly two years ago.
Commercial real estate firm Sperry Van Ness listed the property in 2014. Although the sale price is not known, the property was originally listed for $4 million, and then reduced to $2 million last year.
Realtor Wesley Cox confirmed during the meeting that the price of the property had been reduced at least twice, and that Sperry Van Ness had struggled to find a buyer, although he said representatives from two “top-five” U.S. pharmaceutical companies, and one based in Dubai, had toured the site.
Taylor added that it was “pretty obvious” it would not find an industrial buyer.
“It was interesting to find a buyer of any kind,” he said. “Fortunately, we ran into the church.”
Daryl McCready, lead pastor at SonRise, said the church started in 2002 with about a dozen parishioners.
“We began to grow very rapidly [and] moved into Stephen Decatur High School about a year after we launched the church, and have now grown to three services every Sunday morning … averaging between [600] and 700 attendees,” he said.
In October, SonRise added services in Salisbury, at James M. Bennett High School, and it plans to add a third campus, at Washington High School in Somerset County. McCready said the church’s membership now includes about 1,000 people.
“Part of what our church believes is that we are the church to bless the communities we live in, and to bless people in the name of God,” McCready said, adding that SonRise has partnered with area schools and participated in Town of Berlin events, including National Night Out and Take Pride in Berlin Week. The church also operates a mobile food pantry in the county.
“It’s just kind of the heartbeat of our church to give and to serve,” McCready said. “We’ve been on the search for the last three years where we can put down roots here. This is our community, and most of our people are in this community and want to continue to be a part of this community. And, so we found this site and it does afford us a great opportunity there.”
McCready said his long-term vision included “sporting leagues” playing on church property.
SonRise submitted to the commission a blueprint of the proposed use of the property that includes baseball and soccer fields, a large parking area, and redevelopment of three existing buildings.
It also included a two-acre space for a restaurant, a 1.45 acre parcel for a fast food store and 2.5 acres for an “80-room” hotel along the interchange for routes 113 and 50, as well as a three-acre lot for forestation and a large area for stormwater management, along the section of the property bordered by the railroad.
Taylor estimated that the three potential new businesses would add 200 full-time and 200-partime jobs, and said he had already spoken to representatives from McDonald’s, Cracker Barrel, and an unnamed national hotel chain.
“We just got overwhelmed with excitement and we hope you feel the same way,” he said. “The church is a benefit to current community and schools, and this will also enhance the revenue source for [the town].”
Planning Director Dave Engelhart said his recommendation – and the consensus of town staff – was to “spot-zone” the parcel R-1 residential, allowing for the church and its related developments, and to zone the remainder of the parcel B-2.
“This would allow them to do their subdivision, to parcel off the property to be sold,” he said. “The applicant … didn’t want to go with a spot-zone and didn’t want go with an R-1, so they came up with a text amendment.”
Engelhart added that he did not believe the Berlin Board of Appeals would grant a one-time variance for the property.
Originally, the proposal before the commission included a provision that would only allow churches in commercial zones five acres or larger, which would likely prevent churches from opening in shopping districts. Engelhard said there were no B-2 parcels in Berlin that were five acres or larger.
“This is effectively limiting it to this one instance,” he said.
Taylor said he objected to spot zoning ahead of subdivision of the property, because it took away the flexibility to parcel off specific parts to suit a potential buyer. He had suggested zoning B-3, because the town only had about 13 acres of that classification, but said he was “perfectly happy” with the B-2 designation.
“I think good zoning practice is that this entire property be put in the B-2 zone,” he said. “We don’t know exactly what [buyers] might want. That’s still up for grabs … it’s very hard at this kind of planning stage that we’re at [to draw lines].”
He added that negotiations with Merial Select had already lasted more than a year, and that getting the property rezoned within a specific timeframe was part of the conditions for the sale. Engelhart noted that the commission, by town code, had 60 days to approve or deny the zoning request.
Planning Commission Member Pete Cosby suggested removing the stipulation that would limit churches in B-2 commercial to properties of five acres or more.
“I think that our society believes churches provide benefits that you can’t count in money,” he said.
After Taylor read the amended proposal for the record, Cosby made the formal motion, which was approved unanimously.
Next, the matter will move to the Berlin mayor and Council and will require a public hearing. Engelhart said that process would likely start during either the April 11 or April 25 meeting at town hall.
SonRise has a conditional agreement to buy the 22-acre former Select Laboratories property from Merial Select, with the intention of building a new parish on part of it, then subdividing the remaining land and selling that to commercial developers.
Attorney Robert Taylor, representing the church, said doing so would allow SonRise to fund its own redevelopment of the property into a 9-acre parish and religious complex.
Two things were at issue. The parcel, located on 10026 Main Street, near Route 50 and Route 113, is zoned M-1 light industrial. SonRise asked the commission to rezone the property into either the B-2 or B-3 commercial districts, and then grant an amendment to the zoning code allowing churches in those districts.
At present, the Berlin code only allows churches in R-1 residential zones.
Around 1960, the property was used to produce poultry vaccines. It was sold in 1964 to Abbott Laboratories Inc., then again in 1979 to a subsidiary of French pharmaceutical company Sanofi.
Merial Select, a firm associated with Sanofi, was the most-recent resident there, although it ceased production roughly two years ago.
Commercial real estate firm Sperry Van Ness listed the property in 2014. Although the sale price is not known, the property was originally listed for $4 million, and then reduced to $2 million last year.
Realtor Wesley Cox confirmed during the meeting that the price of the property had been reduced at least twice, and that Sperry Van Ness had struggled to find a buyer, although he said representatives from two “top-five” U.S. pharmaceutical companies, and one based in Dubai, had toured the site.
Taylor added that it was “pretty obvious” it would not find an industrial buyer.
“It was interesting to find a buyer of any kind,” he said. “Fortunately, we ran into the church.”
Daryl McCready, lead pastor at SonRise, said the church started in 2002 with about a dozen parishioners.
“We began to grow very rapidly [and] moved into Stephen Decatur High School about a year after we launched the church, and have now grown to three services every Sunday morning … averaging between [600] and 700 attendees,” he said.
In October, SonRise added services in Salisbury, at James M. Bennett High School, and it plans to add a third campus, at Washington High School in Somerset County. McCready said the church’s membership now includes about 1,000 people.
“Part of what our church believes is that we are the church to bless the communities we live in, and to bless people in the name of God,” McCready said, adding that SonRise has partnered with area schools and participated in Town of Berlin events, including National Night Out and Take Pride in Berlin Week. The church also operates a mobile food pantry in the county.
“It’s just kind of the heartbeat of our church to give and to serve,” McCready said. “We’ve been on the search for the last three years where we can put down roots here. This is our community, and most of our people are in this community and want to continue to be a part of this community. And, so we found this site and it does afford us a great opportunity there.”
McCready said his long-term vision included “sporting leagues” playing on church property.
SonRise submitted to the commission a blueprint of the proposed use of the property that includes baseball and soccer fields, a large parking area, and redevelopment of three existing buildings.
It also included a two-acre space for a restaurant, a 1.45 acre parcel for a fast food store and 2.5 acres for an “80-room” hotel along the interchange for routes 113 and 50, as well as a three-acre lot for forestation and a large area for stormwater management, along the section of the property bordered by the railroad.
Taylor estimated that the three potential new businesses would add 200 full-time and 200-partime jobs, and said he had already spoken to representatives from McDonald’s, Cracker Barrel, and an unnamed national hotel chain.
“We just got overwhelmed with excitement and we hope you feel the same way,” he said. “The church is a benefit to current community and schools, and this will also enhance the revenue source for [the town].”
Planning Director Dave Engelhart said his recommendation – and the consensus of town staff – was to “spot-zone” the parcel R-1 residential, allowing for the church and its related developments, and to zone the remainder of the parcel B-2.
“This would allow them to do their subdivision, to parcel off the property to be sold,” he said. “The applicant … didn’t want to go with a spot-zone and didn’t want go with an R-1, so they came up with a text amendment.”
Engelhart added that he did not believe the Berlin Board of Appeals would grant a one-time variance for the property.
Originally, the proposal before the commission included a provision that would only allow churches in commercial zones five acres or larger, which would likely prevent churches from opening in shopping districts. Engelhard said there were no B-2 parcels in Berlin that were five acres or larger.
“This is effectively limiting it to this one instance,” he said.
Taylor said he objected to spot zoning ahead of subdivision of the property, because it took away the flexibility to parcel off specific parts to suit a potential buyer. He had suggested zoning B-3, because the town only had about 13 acres of that classification, but said he was “perfectly happy” with the B-2 designation.
“I think good zoning practice is that this entire property be put in the B-2 zone,” he said. “We don’t know exactly what [buyers] might want. That’s still up for grabs … it’s very hard at this kind of planning stage that we’re at [to draw lines].”
He added that negotiations with Merial Select had already lasted more than a year, and that getting the property rezoned within a specific timeframe was part of the conditions for the sale. Engelhart noted that the commission, by town code, had 60 days to approve or deny the zoning request.
Planning Commission Member Pete Cosby suggested removing the stipulation that would limit churches in B-2 commercial to properties of five acres or more.
“I think that our society believes churches provide benefits that you can’t count in money,” he said.
After Taylor read the amended proposal for the record, Cosby made the formal motion, which was approved unanimously.
Next, the matter will move to the Berlin mayor and Council and will require a public hearing. Engelhart said that process would likely start during either the April 11 or April 25 meeting at town hall.