Former city official says megachurch not ‘compatible’ in Milton neighborhood
An application to build a 2,000-seat church in Milton has led to community turmoil, new city code and now the resignation of the public works director.
The city’s director of public works announced in a July 1 letter to the city the church proposal was the reason for his departure.
According to city documents, the Salvation Slavic Baptist Church submitted a project application for a conditional-use permit in April 2019 to develop nearly 20 acres at 1707 23rd Ave.
The project includes a 92,000-square-foot church, a 7,500-square-foot gym, a 26-student classroom school and 546 parking stalls.
Residents of the neighborhood have created a nonprofit organization, “Citizens for a Small-Town Milton,” and a GoFundMe to stop the project. The nonprofit appealed a city staff report in November, opening an arbitration process in February.
Nick Afzali was the city’s director of public works for more than two years after 30 years in the field. During his career, he has worked in Auburn, Maple Valley, Renton and the city of Mercer Island.
In his letter to the city and the mayor, Afzali said the proposed church is not “compatible” with his values.
“In short, due to the size and location of the proposed SSBC, this proposed development neither promotes walkability nor it is compatible with the current residential character and fabric of the neighborhood – both of which are key tenets of my professional core values,” the letter said.
The Salvation Slavic Baptist Church’s project manager, Andrew Chepel told The News Tribune the church had no comments at this time.
Afzali joined the city after the church’s application was accepted.
In October, the city signed a “mitigated determination of nonsignificance.” The determination is part of the process for new construction. In signing the determination, the city said the proposal wound not have a probable significant adverse impact on the environment.
City Attorney Scott Snyder said the application is pending a decision by a hearing examiner, who will determine whether the city should have issued an MDNS or should issue a “conditional-use” permit in the future.
“The city makes a recommendation to the Hearing Examiner on the application, there is no option on behalf of the City to drop the application,” Snyder said when asked whether the city intends to continue the arbitration process.
Snyder said the city’s recommendations on the application were made with Afzali’s input.
Public works director’s letter
Afzali said he believes code changes are needed in Milton to address development.
“If proper changes were made to the city code prior to 2018 or proper actions were taken after learning about the proposed SSBC in late 2018 the City would not be at where we are today,” his letter said.
The City Council unanimously passed a bill on March 15 to put a pause on conditional-use permits in residential areas for six months under the advice of Afzali to address gaps in development code.
Conditional-use permits are used for developments not specifically outlined in the city’s comprehensive plan and require approval from the city. Afzali said at the March 15 council meeting that includes development like swimming pools, churches and schools in residential areas.
Snyder told council on March 15 that code adjustments had been made a few years back, but there was still work to be done.
“There was no follow-up to adopt the necessary developmental regulations,” he said, “everything like differentiating the size of the development in the residential neighborhood to the fact that, frankly, your (comprehensive) plan doesn’t use the word ‘church’ at all anywhere in the document as a whole.”
Afazli told council staff was considering a 20,000-square-foot threshold for a development. The proposed church would be 92,000 square feet.
The city’s Planning Commission developed a work plan for reviewing permits regarding places of public assembly, like churches, Snyder said. The council will hear the plan on Aug. 2 with a public hearing planned on Aug. 16.
Afzali announced his retirement in May but made July 6 his last day so he could attend a public hearing on the church proposal and testify.
“I picked this date because it was the date of the hearing for the Slavic Salvation Baptist Church (SSBC) appeal and to review all the third-party reviews on critical area, traffic and parking impacts and stormwater requirements,” the letter said.
The city’s notice of the hearing said it was explicitly held to take Afzali’s testimony, but Afzali decided to move his leave date five days earlier to July 1, leaving before the hearing.
“In addition to having completed the work I committed to, part of the reason I am leaving earlier than previously planned is because; upon deep reflection, I have come to the conclusion that the proposed 100,000 square feet of SSBC in a residential community, does not align with my core values as a professional who has been serving the public in communities in Oregon and Washington for the last 30 years,” the letter said.
He made it clear that he did not want to be involved in approving the church proposal.
“I will be retiring in a few days after thirty years of serving the public and I do not want to be any further part of approval of proposed SSBC,” the letter said.
Asked about Afzali’s departure and the church proposal, Snyder said, “The issues are complex and contested, and accordingly not easily summarized in a sentence or two.” He declined to provide a further statement.
This story was originally published July 19, 2021 at 7:51 AM.
