Christ Church’s next move: Congregation awaits DEP decision and challenges partial tax exemption Wednesday, January 04, 2006
By CHRIS SAGONA of The Montclair Times
While the rest of Montclair was ringing in the New Year at the First Night gala or at a private fete, members of Christ Church were having a party of their own. Members held a 10 p.m. worship service to ring in the New Year. But as happens lately in the 900-seat Romanesque church on Trinity Place and Church Street, the sanctuary was soon filled and many congregants were ushered to other rooms to watch the service on large-screen televisions.
Space has been an increasing problem for the church, which now has more than 5,000 members, a sharp rise since beginning with several hundred congregants in 1986.
Senior Pastor David Ireland is leading the church in its effort to build a larger church home in Rockaway. Members intend to build a 2,522-seat sanctuary, with Sunday School classrooms, and facilities for students in kindergarten through 5th grade, as well as recreational facilities.
In 2005, the church paid $10.2 million for 101 acres on Green Pond Road in Rockaway, property which was owned by Agilent Techonogies.
Church administrative offices were moved to the new location at the end of September, although worship services are still being held in Montclair.
Ireland alleges the church’s efforts to win approval for redeveloping the property has met resistance by Rockaway officials.
Last April, a lawsuit was filed in federal court against the Township of Rockaway and New Jersey government officials, alleging religious discrimination. The church now has news of tax assessments and state Department of Environmental Protection findings to deal with, according to Marc Weinstein, spokesman for Christ Church.
Weinstein said although the church should have received a 100 percent tax exemption, they have been notified by the Rockaway tax assessor that they have received a 15 percent exemption.
“Sixty-five thousand square feet is being exempted,” said Mark Burek, the township’s tax assessor. “I sent them a letter exempting a portion of the property, and now it’s up to them to deal with it.”
Weinstein said the church is considering appealing the assessor’s decision.
“Basically the administration is trying to block us … We totally disagree with the decision [regarding tax exemption] and the criteria the assessor used,” said Weinstein. “We believe the assessor is tainted by the very fact he’s an employee of the current administration. It’s sort of like the fox guarding the henhouse.”
Weinstein also said the church is awaiting a decision by the DEP. The church received an exemption prior to the Highlands Law, (which sets land use and water protection standards in the Highland area), was enacted but the state Appellate Court has since decided to reexamine the decision, he said.
“I guess they felt the plans were not as comprehensive as they should have been,” said Weinstein. “But we believe the DEP will side with us and not revoke the exemption. The church has always said it will adhere to the highest environmental standards, even if receiving the exemption. I might add that it’s an industrial site and this is a church. It doesn’t produce industrial waste. We are thinking the church is probably best suited for the site.”
The lawsuit also claims that the township’s zoning ordinance should be rendered invalid, alleging it is arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable in its treatment of houses of worship versus other assembly uses. It further alleges the defendants manufactured discriminatory and improper barriers to Christ Church’s proposed redevelopment of the property. It also alleges the defendants stiffed up local opposition to the church.
The Rockaway business administrator did not return a telephone call prior to press time.
Now, lets take a closer look at that statement, like a good newspaper should have:
1. The existing cc sanctuary in Montclair is 25,000 square feet.
2. The previous Verona office building for the 50 money counters was 10,000 square feet.
Now, those 50 money counters have been moved to Rockaway township. They need no more space to count their money now than they did in Verona, right? (Unless they have experienced explosive financial growth recently) So the true tax exemption should have been based on 10,000 square feet and not 65,000 square feet. Furthermore, the combined sanctuary plus the office space for cc was 35,000 square feet prior to the partial move to RT. Mark Bucek, afforded them a tax deduction equal to roughly twice their entire physical plant as it existed a few months ago.
Pray tell me how RT has been unfair about this? As an RT taxpayer, I believe that Mark did not do his job properly; he is dramatically undertaxing cc based on its present use of the GPR facility. In summary, ire-land moved a 10,000 square foot business office into a 265,000 square foot research complex, and that should be RT's problem? What an A$$hole!
