PLYMOUTH, Minn. — The City of Plymouth reversed course Tuesday night and approved the proposal to build a new location for Eagle Brook Church.
The plan includes an auditorium fit for 1,500 and a parking lot with 685 spots on the northwest corner of Chankahda Trail and Maple Grove Parkway. Previously in December, the council shot down the proposal.
Last week, the church’s attorney sent a letter to the council threatening legal action against the city if they rejected the proposal, on grounds of violating First Amendment rights. In the letter, the attorney says the proposal meets city zoning requirements. It also cited the traffic study done by the city saying there were no detrimental effects on the residential roads.
On Tuesday, the majority of public comment was filled with concerns about traffic. The engineers that conducted the traffic study said the peak times for traffic will be 15 minutes after services.
The proposal passed with the agreement to amend the plans including:
- Create additional access to the roads, including an exit/entrance for the east and south end of the property.
- Revise landscaping and move any lights shining in trees.
- Work with staff on additional architectural updates to the back of the building.
Eagle Brook has been operating services at Wayzata High School since 2018. There have been two other previous attempts by Eagle Brook to build in Corcoran and Minnetonka. Eagle Brook has 11 other locations in the metro. The church says its congregation has grown and leadership has been looking for a permanent location in the west metro area for 6 years.
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