Controversial Church of God Expansion Application Withdrawn

Ridgewood's Church of God has withdrawn its controversial expansion application before the planning board, but village officials say they'll be back.

The house of worship – located on Godwin Avenue – in 2011, proposing that they expand with two two-story additions. They hoped to increase the size of the pastor's area, the kitchen, a storage room and other odd spaces. The expansions would have been on both sides of the main structure, set behind a 4-foot-tall iron fence.

Before the application was heard, West Side neighbors immediately had their concerns. They contended the expansion's  and were possibly for parties and ceremonies. Traffic at the church is already extensive, and often at strange hours, residents testified.

Planning board attorney Katie Razin – filling in for Gail Price – said Tuesday that the church had withdrawn its application.

It shouldn't come as a complete surprise. The application had been previously determined to be by the board and after , new architects and attorneys had been chosen. Razin said the church's attorney, Marc Leibman, will be filing a new application.

In recent weeks, concerned neighbors alerted village police that the church has been performing work on the structure. As it turns out, the church had been attending to a damaged roof and was legally allowed to do so without permits, Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser said. 

One of the primary reasons the application had been deemed incomplete was the church's replacement of two HVAC units without permits last summer. 

"Some of the work was done without permits, but it's well within their rights to have it done. It just complicates things later," the engineer said.

Officials said they'll be vigilant in making sure Church of God doesn't attempt any construction they're not permitted to start.

"We'll continue to check on them since they've been found in the past not complying," Rutishauser said.

Planning Board Chairman Charles Nalbantian said it's not known when the church will reapply or what, if anything, will change about the application.

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