Northville Township Commission Approves Land Use For Beck Road Mega Church

Triumph Church, with sites throughout Metro Detroit, has gotten the green light from Northville Township's Planning Commission on a special land use request.

The church, which owns property on Beck Road north of Five Mile Road, now has clearance as a religious institution. The Planning Commission approved the land use, and special conditions, at a Tuesday night meeting.

At the meeting, and earlier ones held by the commission, the group heard from concerned residents. Some said they were concerned about increased traffic on Beck Road, while others had issues with the size and scope of the project.

At the Tuesday meeting, some residents asked about provisions in the plan. One neighbor, Bo Westerkamp, told the commission he is worried about residences on the property. He said he is worried about people like ministers, maintenance men and others living at the site with their families. Because the religious institution would not be paying taxes, he said he worried about the impact that would have on schools and services.

Robert Nix, chairman of the Planning Commission and who soon will assume the role of said this was not uncommon for religious institutions. He said those living on the property would have to have a direct tie to the church, according to conditions for use.

Triumph Church currently serves 15,000, according to its website. It is growing at a rate of about 4,000 members a year.

"We're pleased to be part of the community," said the church's attorney, Daniel Dalton. "It'll be a good relationship."

Approved with conditions

Approval of the special land use for Triumph Church is conditional on a number of factors, including the following prohibitions, according to township documents online:

• No K-12 or secondary schools.
• Residential uses, except for the two existing living quarters for on-site clergy, ministry or other members of the religious order whose primary duties are carried out on the site.
• Clinics, rescue missions, rehabilitation/addiction centers or other similar uses.

Copies of the updated documents detailing changes to the plan were not available from township officials following the meeting.

Come back with Northville Patch for updates.