Neighbors object to proposed extension of Catholic church

POWELL — In response to neighbors’ concerns, a planned expansion of St. Barbara’s Catholic Church has been paused while the Powell City Council gathers more information. 

St. Barbara’s leaders want to add larger, handicap-accessible bathrooms and more indoor gathering space at the front of the church building. Parish member Josh Serr said the project is intended to make funerals, weddings and restrooms safer. 

While the church has been in the planning process, an older resident suffered an injured hip from a fall in an existing restroom, Serr said, which has added to the urgency. 

“It’s just kind of a bad setup,” he said in an interview. 

St. Barbara’s is hoping to extend the structure about 16 feet to the south, toward East Third Street.

However, the church can’t build quite that close to the sidewalk unless the City of Powell loosens its setback requirements. Councilors are currently considering a request to rezone the property from residential general to business general. 

If approved, the change would eliminate a requirement that the building stay at least 15 feet away from the sidewalk. 

However, the potential for reduced visibility at the busy intersection of Third and Absaroka streets outside the church — along with some other concerns — has drawn objections from nearby residents and divided the city’s planning and zoning commission. 

After three neighbors voiced opposition at a May 19 meeting, councilors tabled the zoning change. 

Council members indicated they would like to hear from St. Barbara’s representatives — who weren’t in attendance last week — before making a decision. 

“You’ve been heard for a little while at least,” Mayor John Wetzel told the neighbors, who had voiced fears they wouldn’t have a say. 

Singling out churches 

City ordinance used to require “churches and church facilities” to stay at least 25 feet away from lot lines and rights-of-way. However, the city struck that language earlier this year in response to St. Barbara’s concerns. 

In a late July letter to the Powell Planning and Zoning Commission, the church noted the city had looser setback requirements for businesses. 

St. Barbara’s letter said in part that the discrepancy was “difficult to justify and may be perceived as a bias against religious institutions, potentially infringing upon the principles of religious freedom and equal treatment under the law.” 

The letter also noted other churches are less than 10 feet from the sidewalk, which “highlights the arbitrary nature” of the ordinance. 

A sizable contingent of St. Barbara’s members made its case at the planning board’s August meeting. The board recommended that the city council strike the language, and councilors did so earlier this year. 

At a December meeting, Mayor John Wetzel said the ordinance was intended to reduce the potential of kids running into traffic outside a church. 

“It’s definitely been a safety issue,” Wetzel said, but he agreed it made sense to apply the city’s regulations equally and nix the language. 

A potential rezone

However, that didn’t wholly address St. Barbara’s issue: The church remains in the residential general zone, where all buildings must stay at least 15 feet away from the sidewalk/ right-of-way. 

So church representatives are now seeking to change the zoning of the 0.8-acre parcel that contains the church to business general. That’s the same classification used for the downtown area across the street and theoretically allows buildings to go up to the sidewalk — though Serr said the church does not plan to build that far. 

At its April 28 meeting, the planning and zoning commission voted 4-3 to endorse the zoning change. 

Longtime board member John Campbell was among the nos. After services or funerals at St. Barbara’s, people “kind of spill out all over the place,” Campbell said. If the building is extended toward the sidewalk, there will effectively be “no room,” he said, expressing concern that the whole congregation may wind up gathering on the property’s corner and reduce visibility for passing drivers. 

However,  Chairman Myron Heny, who cast the tie-breaking vote, said he believes St. Barbara’s needs more indoor space. 

“If you’ve ever been to a funeral or a wedding or something, their people are standing out in the street, ‘cause that narthex is so small they can’t get registered or nothing,” Heny said. 

He described the existing entry area as “very, very small.” 

City Building Official Ben Hubbard also didn’t see any concerns with the expansion. 

Hubbard said he understands the worries about safety, but noted the city still requires a “clear vision triangle,” which prohibits buildings from coming within 25 feet of an intersection. That limits the potential expansion on the western end of the property. 

Further, “it is a four-way stop,” Hubbard noted of Third/ Absaroka streets. “Short of putting in a light, that’s as good as we can do.” 

Some neighbors, however, disagree. 

Raising objections

Rebecca Smith, who lives across from the church on Absaroka Street, said she sees “nothing but problems” if the zoning is changed. 

“Children cross that street right there from three different schools, and … it’s dangerous enough,” she said at the May 19 meeting. “And when they move this church out, that’s going to make it even more dangerous for people to see.” 

Toni Daniel, who lives just north of the church, also spoke against the rezone. 

“That street’s already busy [and] the parking is already crazy when they have events,” Daniel said, “If you bring that building out, people are going to be spilling out into that street.” 

She expressed fears that a child will be hit by a vehicle. 

Darin Wood, who also lives across Absaroka Street, shared some of those concerns and also took issue with St. Barbara’s being put in a business zone.

“It’s not like the Catholics are hurting for money or power,” he said. “I’m thinking they could find a better way to get that approved than to zone themselves as a business when they’re not business.” 

However, Wetzel said the church doesn’t really have any other options if it wants to expand that far toward the sidewalk. The neighbors suggested St. Barbara’s should expand in a different direction, but the mayor said the city can’t dictate what the church does with its private property. 

When the council initially considered the rezone on May 5, it passed on the first reading by a 6-1 vote, with Councilman Tim Sapp being the lone “nay.” 

After hearing the neighbors’ concerns on second reading on May 19, the council unanimously voted to table the proposal and invite St. Barbara’s representatives to its Monday, June 2 meeting. Serr said a number of parish members plan to attend.

This story was published on May 29, 2025.