City council voted unanimously Monday night to grant a a three-year extension to a temporary use permit to allow a church to continue to hold services in a location zoned light industrial.
City staff had recommended council reject the request from the Redeemed Christian Church of God Faith Chapel at 3850-18th Avenue, near the corner of Ogilvie Street.
It was the same position staff held when the permit was originally granted three years ago, saying it's an unfit use for the area.
But council saw no harm in extending the permit after hearing the church has had trouble finding a new home in the city's tight real estate market. There have been no complaints from the neighbours, it was added.
Speaking on behalf of the church, real estate agent Harry Backlin told council he has been looking for either a vacated church or a conveniently-located and affordable property where a church could be built but without success.
Banks are reluctant to provide financing for churches, he also noted, so it would have to gather funding from other sources. The congregation has grown from 90 to 150 members but has so far lacked the resources to do more than rent.
The possibility of limiting the extension to one or two years was raised but council opted for the full three. Backlin said it's possible it will be able to find a new home before the permit's time has lapsed.
If the church cannot find a new home, it will not be able to seek a further extension - two is the limit under provincial legislation. Its only option would be to convince council to rezone the property.
The property is also home to a cafe and is a block away from the Salvation Army's community support centre.
Coun. Jillian Merrick said there have been a number of applications for temporary use permits from the area and questioned whether it should remain light industrial, noting it's "smooshed" between CN Centre, College of New Caledonia and a transit hub.
"Perhaps a future council could look at a larger neighbourhood conversation around this and build a better community designation to support this recreational, educational and transit-based uses of this neighbourhood," Merrick said.
