The Evening Sun article

Church asks Straban for zoning relief
Freedom Valley Worship Center wants to expand and build an indoor therapy facility.
By ERIN JAMES

The Evening Sun

Caleb Beam, 7, of New Oxford, pets his horse Pedro with the help of his dad, Patrick, in 2007 before going out for his lesson at Shining Star Therapeutic Riding Ministry. The ministry which works with the mentally and physically disabled of all ages operates at Freedom Valley Worship Center on Route 30 between New Oxford and Gettysburg. The program s coordinators want to build an indoor facility so they can operate year-round, but a Straban Township zoning proposal could prevent them from doing so. (Evening Sun File Photo)

Tracey Thomas doesn't know anything about ordinances. She "just realized what a solicitor is."

But the Gettysburg mother did not stammer when she addressed Straban Township officials Tuesday night. Thomas asked the township's supervisors to think twice before enacting a law that would essentially prevent the expansion of a horseback-riding therapy program she said has changed the lives of her two disabled children.

Shining Stars Therapeutic Riding Ministry - which operates on the property of Freedom Valley Worship Center between New Oxford and Gettysburg - is the reason why her young son now sings in the school chorus and plays in the school band, Thomas said.

"The boy who could not be touched can be helped onto a horse," she said, adding that her daughter - who has the same genetic disorder as her brother - has also benefited from Shining Stars.

Thomas was just one of more than 20 people who spoke Tuesday at a public hearing on behalf of Shining Stars and Freedom Valley Worship Center, a local church with plans to double the size of its Route 30 facility. The project would include an indoor arena, where Shining Stars students could ride horses year-round.

But in its current form, the township's zoning-ordinance proposal would prevent Freedom Valley Worship Center from expanding its facility by more than 20 percent - a change from a 50-percent limit in the current law. The change would apply to all non-conforming uses, which includes the church.

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If it is adopted as written, the law "essentially kills our project," said the Rev. Gerry Stoltzfoos.
But before they can consider the public's input, the township's three supervisors and its solicitor need to figure out how the change appeared in the zoning proposal to begin with.

One thing's for sure - it didn't come from them.

Either the change is a typographical error, or it was inserted by a consultant the township paid to review its proposal. If that's the case, it was not noticed by township officials until now, said township Solicitor Walton Davis.

"We're a little bit embarrassed," Davis said after Stoltzfoos addressed the board.

Tuesday's public hearing is the latest development in a process the supervisors launched 15 months ago to amend parts of Straban Township's zoning ordinance. Since adopting a new zoning ordinance in December 2006, officials identified a list of problems with the ordinance, particularly language issues and a lack of requirements for special-exception uses. In June 2008, supervisors voted to hire West Chester-based consultant Tom Comitta and pay him a maximum of $25,000 to take a comprehensive look at the zoning ordinance. The review was supposed to take six months.

But in November, supervisors said Comitta made "significant" changes and that they would need an explanation before proceeding. That might be where the change affecting Freedom Valley Worship Center originated.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Troy Martin said the supervisors will meet with Davis before making any decisions. He said the zoning ordinance is an item on the supervisors' Monday agenda, but "it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be approved."

Davis said the township also needs to speak with church officials to clarify exactly what it is they want. Of those who spoke Tuesday night, some asked that the expansion limit be changed and others asked that Freedom Valley Worship Center be considered a permitted use - thus excepting it from the rule.

"There's a lot that has to be discussed," Davis said.

Consistent among all those who spoke, however, was the request that the township not do anything to stand in the way of Freedom Valley Worship Center's expansion - particularly the plans for a Shining Stars indoor facility.

Since its inception in 2000, the program's enrollment has grown from 18 to 100 students, said the program's founder, Brandy Crago.

Because of the limited facilities, the ministry is having to turn potential students away, Crago said. Shining Stars also closes down during the colder months, which means some students actually regress until the program starts up again.

The program also means a lot to the volunteers who staff it. Several of them spoke at Tuesday's meeting.

Through tears, Kathy Pappas said Shining Stars has been a "blessing" in her own life.

"I've been in turmoil over this all day long," she said.

IF YOU GO

What: Meeting of the Straban Township Board of Supervisors, which will consider adopting amendments to the township's zoning ordinance

When: 7 p.m. on Monday

Where: Municipal building, 1745 Granite Station Road