New Canaan Advertiser
Farm neighbor withdraws from Grace Church lawsuit

May 11, 2008

One of the neighbors who joined a lawsuit in March to block a settlement between Grace Community Church and the Town has withdrawn from the case.

Mordechai Abel, 1385 Smith Ridge, intervened in the church’s appeal of a Planning & Zoning Commission decision in November that gave the congregation permission for “Phase I” of its planned religious complex: a temporary, 900-seat sanctuary and parking for roughly 200 cars.

“Phase II” was to include a 1,200-seat permanent sanctuary and additional parking.

Although Grace and the Town agreed upon a compromise in February that would allow the church to proceed with both phases under some supervision, the intervention of Mr. Abel and another neighbor meant that it could not be approved by a judge because all parties did not give their consent.

The withdrawal came days before argument was to take place of a motion asking a judge to decide whether Mr. Abel had standing as an intervenor, Grace Church Attorney Stephen Finn said.

The other intervenor, David C. Markatos, 1328 Smith Ridge, has not withdrawn from the suit, his wife Jennifer Holme said in an e-mail.

Mr. Abel remains a party in a competing appeal of P&Z’s decision, filed by neighbors who are opposed to what they have called a “mega-church” and the traffic they fear it would bring to the semi-rural neighborhood.

© Copyright 2008 by Hersam Acorn Newspapers