Ridge Community Church Moves Step Closer to Permanent Greenfield Home

Like a family that outgrows a starter home, the congregation of The Ridge Community Church is just about ready for a bigger dwelling and a sense of permanency.

The Greenfield Common Council paved the way for The Ridge Community Church to put down its roots in Greenfield when it voted 4-1 in favor of rezoning land in the 9500/9700 blocks of West Layton Avenue from residential to institutional Tuesday.

The move all but assures The Ridge Community Church will , barring any unforeseeable problems between the church and the city’s planning commission.

The church originally held its services at The Ridge Cinema in New Berlin and has spent the last one and a half years at . At Tuesday’s public hearing, Pastor Mark Weigt spoke of his congregation’s desire to build in Greenfield.

“When we started this process of looking a permanent home in Greenfield, we sat down with some people from the city … and I told them I never wanted to be a part of a community that we had to force our way into,” Weigt said. “I still stand by that comment. We want to be here, and we hope you want us here as well.”

The non-denominational Christian church has a congregation of approximately 500 people. The first phase of the building proposal would hold between 600-700, and after a proposed second phase of construction, the church could hold 1,200 people. According to Weigt, approximately 10 percent of the congregation resides in Greenfield.

The current assessed value of the seven properties proposed to be assembled for the church project is $1.04 million. The location has two houses, one of which is rented and another that is abandoned. Those houses would be removed to make way for the church. The location also has numerous trees and “green space” that church representatives promised to protect.

Susan Allan, 9601 W. Layton Ave., hopes that is the case.

“My main concern is that they keep as much of the natural stuff that’s there,” said Allen, who lives across the street from the church’s proposed entrance. “We have three deer that live right across the street there that come right over to our yard. … When you’re changing an area, I think you need to make sure that people are aware because these animals aren’t just going to go away.”

No one spoke against the rezoning proposal at the hearing, but Alderperson Thomas Pietrowski voted against it, saying he’d rather have the land serve multiple purposes rather than being entirely zoned as institutional.

“This is a land-use issue,” Pietrowski said. “One of the primary things is the economy is bad right now. … In the future, land is one commodity the City of Greenfield cannot reduce and we have to be very careful with the type of development. I’m not saying this is a bad institution; I just don’t think it’s the best use.”

Next up for the church is a return visit to a future planning commission meeting where it will finalize site building and landscaping plans. The Common Council then has to approve those plans before construction begins.