Woodbridge, Va. –– Officials in Prince William County voted unanimously to allow a church to be built a bit taller, and to allow the congregation to erect two electronic signs along busy U.S. 1.
Harvest Life Changers church in Woodbridge, when finished, will be located on Neabsco Mills Road.
With the county Board of Supervisors’ approval Tuesday night, the church will now stand 80 feet tall – 35 feet higher than what a zoning ordinance in Woodbridge currently allows.
The new church will also boast two 20-feet high electronic message board signs, each with a 125-feet sign area, according to county documents.
After the board approved the request, at least 100 members of the churches congregation cheered.
“We prayed and we just believed, and walked through each part of the process, and we are a part of the community, we believe in helping people, and we talked to a number of the supervisors and the planning commission and I guess they saw it our way. And we’re happy about it,” said Bishop Lyle Dukes, pastor of the church.
The church is relocating from its current location on Telegraph Road, across from Potomac Mills mall.
Some business owners expressed concern about the increased traffic the new church would bring to an already congested two-lane Neabsco Road, Dukes said he is willing to work with them.
“We are going to be a good neighbor. We have a good relationship with the Northern Virginia Community College, the high school and also all of the new developers that are in the area,” said Dukes.
The church will sit near the Northern Virginia Community College, Freedom High School and the developing Stonebridge Town Center, which is home to Wegmans grocery store.
