Posted on 07/06/2012 7:42:42 PM PDT by Altariel
“What kind of business, what hours, how often, how many people?”
No business should be allowed to operate in a neighborhood of single-family homes. So, no hours. None. No customers in residential neighborhoods.
Not enforcing zoning is how you end up with ten beaters waiting at the curb for the mechanic who works out of his home garage. And all the attendant noise. Why should that guy be forced out when it’s okay for the people next door to run a church? If he “worships” cars... does that make it okay for the neighbors?
And made no mistake, church congregants are customers. They park. They pay. Churches are businesses, albeit tax exempt businesses.
If anyone can come up with a cogent argument why the homeowners in my neighborhood, the ones who found themselves quite suddenly living next door to a church, why they should just shut up and respect the “freedom of religion” of those who don’t respect private property rights (and that’s what we’re talking about, really) or law and order (because that’s what zoning laws are: the law), I’d love to hear it.
They are trying to have it both ways - if thee preacher cannot run a church on their property as per zoning regulations then how can they be booked for building code regulations that would only apply to a business or a church. Someone doesn’t like this preacher and is out to get him.
Mel
Down on the Animal Farm, some religions are more equal than others. The “Religion of Peace” gets to sleep in the farmer’s house. Christians get the barn. OINK!
From what I read the man want to have public meetings three times a week in a 2,000 square foot building, which has a pulpit and chairs for as many as 40 people, which he built after obtaining a a permit to convert a garage into a game room.
The city of Phoenix forbids any other occupancy or use, which can be sticky (what if they played Bible games), but the man apparently could have a church there if he complied with the normal requirements for such.
The question is whether the state has a legit interest is not only insuring homes are safely built, but that meeting houses of a certain size can require more safety features.
And at what size or frequency does having regular meetings for any purpose at your house require these extra requirements.
These are legit questions as i see them, and both sides need to be reasonable, with tolerance but not compromise, which can be a grey area.
Too many cars left out on the street, which is understandable when you have anywhere from 20-40 people showing up at a time, there’s no way that won’t draw attention when done on a weekly basis.
I was not responding to the original article; I was responding to a poster (not you) who claimed that, under the First Amendment, building and zoning codes can never apply to churches. That proposition simply isn't true, and I selected an extreme example to illustrate that.
OK.
Well, and this will get me in trouble, but I don't see why churches should be exempt from the same property taxes that everyone else pays. It's not infringing on anyone's right to worship by expecting their facility to contribute to the costs of the local infrastructure as do the rest of us. There is nothing anti religious in expecting them to carry their share of the costs. As long as all are treated the same as any commercial property.
“Phoenix officials left no stone unturned
Phoenix officials should get a life.
They should have stayed under the rocks they crawled out from!
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