Penn Valley Church Eyes Move to Hatboro

The is hoping to trade temporary setup and teardown facilities with a more permanent address.

The church, which currently rents two rooms at the on Blair Mill Road in Horsham, has its sights set on leasing 400 Lincoln Ave., adjacent to Next Level Automotive Service, Inc., in the borough’s heavy industrial district.

“It’s going to be a greater expense,” Pastor Tony Osimoso, a Warminster native, said, adding that the cost would be about twice what the church is spending now. “It really is a step of faith.”

But, before that step can move forward, Hatboro’s Zoning Hearing Board, on Jan. 11, must first green light what would be a non-conforming use, officials said. Churches are typically situated in residential zones, not heavy industrial districts like the church’s prospective property, which borders Jacksonville Road, borough attorney Mike Savona said.

And since the lot would only provide 10 spaces, the church would need a variance to ok having the required additional 48 parking spaces on neighboring properties, Hatboro’s zoning/code enforcement officer Keith Fugate told the borough council on Monday during a brief discussion.

The governing body, in reviewing the church's proposal, considered taking an official stance on the zoning applications, but, at least for the time being, decided not to take a stance and to leave it in the hands of zoning officials.

Hatboro Police Chief James Gardner said parking and limited lighting could pose problems.

“Parking’s an issue there,” Gardner said. “It’s an industrial neighborhood. It’s a different type of use.”

For Osimoso and his 3-year-old church congregation of roughly 110 members, different could be better. After worshipping at the Blair Mill Inn for the last year, Osimoso said the church is eager to find a place to call its own. In addition to the Lincoln Avenue property being affordable, Osimoso said the church has already immersed itself into the community through and at nearby .

“Our desire for the building is not just for us,” Osimoso said, adding that he envisions the church being opened for cake and coffee on nights that neighboring has shows and as an alternative for

Since most of the neighboring businesses would be closed during Sunday services and on Wednesday evenings when Penn Valley’s youth group meets, Osimoso said business owners expressed a desire to share parking spaces to help accommodate the church. If the zoning hearing board rules in the church’s favor next month, Osimoso said he hopes to be in the building – which he said would hold an estimated 210 to 220 people – by February or March 2012.

And, should the congregation grow beyond the building’s constraints, Osimoso said Penn Valley Church – a multi-site network of three area campuses – would be back at square one.

“If we would be blessed to grow beyond that, we’d probably go and look for another building,” Osimoso told the council.