Apex Baptist Church rezoning

A downtown business owner of 20 years urged approval of the church rezoning and a parking deck, saying downtown businesses are struggling without parking.

A 30-year church member and 25-year resident supported the deck, citing downtown parking shortages, event parking needs, and the church's willingness to compromise.

A church member on Jones Street thanked the council for street improvements and urged approval of the parking deck as a community investment.

Lives across from the existing lot and opposed the deck, citing safety, traffic, noise, and lighting concerns, saying the church never contacted him and the lot sits empty most days.

A longtime church leader said downtown needs more parking, the church shares its lot freely, and the deck would cost taxpayers nothing.

Argued the church won't formalize public access to the deck, that moving the Bailey House won't qualify for a preservation easement, and that the Bailey family was promised the house would remain for mission use.

Lives directly across from the lot; said the deck is an eyesore and safety risk, that Holliman and Jones Streets can't handle the traffic, and urged the council to vote for residents.

Supports the church but opposes the rezoning over traffic on Jones Street and conflict with the small town character overlay rules he had to follow for his own home addition.

Emotional testimony about losing the safe sidewalk where her children play, saying Jones Street is three houses long and not built for deck traffic, and asking the church to explore alternatives.

A 20-year Jones Street resident across from the Bailey House appreciated the compromises but opposed the rezoning over traffic, property values, and historic district protections.

Presented photos and data showing over 900 parking spaces within a block of the church, including the underused South Saunders Street lot on Sunday mornings.

Moved downtown for its character; said the UDO change would undermine the historic district, noted staff and planning board denial recommendations, and questioned whether parking demand is real.

A 46-year resident and church member who has lost family land to development supported the deck as a way for the church to keep serving a growing community from its historic location.

The CAP president, invited by a council member, said demolishing one house and moving the other destroys the National Register setting, that the proposal is not preservation, and that CAP would never accept an easement blessing it.