A new 1,400-seat megachurch is creating controversy over its proposed location next to Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) on the Millennium Campus in Greenville.
Clemson officials said in a written statement that while they “certainly support NewSpring’s expansion into Greenville, it seems that this location might not be the best fit.”
The statement explains that Clemson “believes that all parties are obligated to comply with the agreed-upon covenants for development that apply to both CU-ICAR and Millennium Campus. We have many partners and investors, including the city and state, who expect the site to focus on education, research-driven economic development and job creation.”
NewSpring Church, which has several locations across South Carolina including its main campus in Anderson, averages 22,000 people during weekend services at multiple campuses, according to the church website. The church has been holding its Greenville services in the TD Convention Center.
“Since we launched multi-site, we’ve gone from 7,300 to right now averaging right under 26,000 people a week,” Head Pastor Perry Noble told WYFF-TV.
Developer Trehel Corporation submitted plans for the new church along I-85 that will include not only the 67,000-square-foot church but also future plans for two additional 16,000-square-foot office buildings on the property.
Clemson officials aren’t commenting on the development activities, saying that “Clemson University isn’t responsible for the development of the Millennium Campus or city zoning pertaining to the property, so as this is not a university matter, we do not plan to comment beyond what we have said previously.”
Original master plans on the Rosen Associates Development Millennium Campus website show the proposed area identified as parcel A, lot 6 and 6a having six office buildings with up to 12 stories with adjacent five- and eight-story parking decks.
“Stringent covenants, conditions, and restrictions have been put in place to protect tenants from the emergence of nearby commercial or retail outlets that would detract from the hi-tech sensibility of the campus,” according to the website.
Larry Estridge, attorney for Rosen Associates Development, says that the church is a good “companion” to the other businesses, in that it will have the most traffic on Sundays when other businesses are closed. Estridge also says that the covenants put in in place on the property do not prohibit a church, and a contract with NewSpring is underway.
NewSpring has also submitted an application to Greenville’s Board of Zoning Appeals for the Sept. 19 meeting, asking for a code variance to allow more than 20 percent of the total parking space in the front. The application states that the property is surrounded on three or four sides by streets that make it impractical to comply with the code section and that the ordinance is in place to avoid large fields of asphalt. The application says NewSpring intends to situate its building and parking to avoid such an expanse and include appropriate landscaping.
The church is also looking for properties in Clemson and Greer.
