Shiloh Christian Church Gains Approval For Modified Design

The Shiloh Christian Church requested approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday evening, for a modification to a previously approved plan for their new church on Saybrook Road. The original church was to incorporate 22 stained glass windows as well as the steeple of their historic former church on East Main Street.

Building Committee Chair Eric King told the Commission that the steeple and all but 2 or 3 windows were destroyed, and thus could not be used. Pastor Paul Hilton cited the cost of the original building as a second factor which led to changes, "There's a need to make some modifications.... [the new plans] will make it palatable for the church financially to get it constructed."

There was no public hearing on these modifications, but about a dozen Church members came to support approval. I spoke about the issue during the period of the meeting when the public can speak to anything on the agenda which is not the subject of a public hearing. I raised the procedural issue that since the new church had been reviewed and supported by the Design Review and Historic Preservation Board, major modifications to the façade should also be reviewed by DRHPB.

Two commissioners, Catherine Johnson, and Carl Bolz, initially expressed concern about the "dramatic" differences between the originally approved design and the new design. The Chair of the Commission, Quentin Phipps, disagreed, "Windows are not in our purview."

The Commission was swayed by the difficulties that the church has faced. Since selling their historic church over two years ago, they have had to fight a court battle to get funds for a new church building, and worshiping during this time in a series of temporary venues.

Approval for the new plans was unanimously granted.