See what happens when you show up late and leave early - YOU MISS THE STORY!

Rob shame on you - you missed the entire story. Even if it did not get into todays paper you could have educated yourself and possibly written an article for tomorrow. Just for the "record" the Star Ledger and Neighbor News stayed until the end.

Christ Church to consider second light to curb traffic

By Rob Jennings, Daily Record

ROCKAWAY TWP. - The potential traffic impact of having a mega-church on Green Pond Road led off discussion Monday night at the 15th planning board hearing on Christ Church of Montclair's controversial building plan.

The township's traffic engineer, Scott Kennel, posed a series of questions to the 5,000-member church's consultant in the first hour of the hearing at the Copeland Middle School.

Approximately 85 people attended.

Christ Church's traffic engineer, Karl A. Pehnke, expanded on his testimony of two previous hearings.

Pehnke, under questioning, said the church would consider adding a traffic light at the intersection of Green Pond Road and Meriden Road, by the church site, formerly owned by Agilent.

Christ Church previously agreed to add a traffic light by the proposed church entrance on Green Pond Road, in response to a recommendation by the county engineer's office.

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Pehnke conceded that the church's plan - highlighted by a 2,512-seat sanctuary and private K-5 school at the 107-acre site - would intensify traffic at the westbound I-80 exit ramp and at other nearby intersections.

Opponents of the building plan have said that the area could not handle an increase in traffic that would be brought by Christ Church.

The church, though, has said that the increase would be manageable and noted that any use of the currently-vacant Agilent site - which once housed up to 1,000 employees - would worsen traffic.

Christ Church has a $14 million purchase agreement with Agilent.

Both sides are waiting to see what impact a new local zoning ordinance will have on the church's plan.

The zoning ordinance was adopted by the township council March 1 to clarify standards for conditional uses, such as churches, and tighten environmental rules throughout the township.

Christ Church has called the ordinance unconstitutional but has not taken any legal action against the measure.

The ordinance, if unchallenged by Christ Church, would not necessarily derail its sanctuary or school but would likely force a restructuring of its 304,000-square-foot building plan.

THE REAL HEADLINE SHOULD READ:

CHRIST CHURCH ADMITS ERROR IN HIGHLANDS APPLICATION