Overview: In a recent session, the Egg Harbor Land Use Board deliberated extensively on a waiver application by a local church, known as Spread the Gospel, to forgo paving their parking lot, a topic that dominated the discussion due to its broad implications on local residents and city ordinances. The application, 2024-2, requested relief from site plan requirements, specifically the paving of the parking lot, due to technical issues with stormwater management. The church’s engineer testified that the site had remained unchanged in the past five years, sparking a debate on the necessity of the waiver, and whether the unpaved state of the parking lot posed concerns regarding noise, parking overflow, and prior conditions related to alcohol service and event management.
