By Jason Stuart
Ranger-Review Staff Writer
An old, historic church building in Glendive’s Southside neighborhood is slated to become the new home for a local antiques and sundries market after the Glendive City Council approved a zone change request for the property at the June 20 council meeting.
In a 7-1 vote, the council approved changing the zoning for the old church property, located at 320 West Power Street, from R2 (single-family residential) to Neighborhood Commercial Limited. Councilman Leon Baker, who represents Ward 4, where the property is located, was the lone dissenting vote.
Asked what kinds of businesses are allowed in a NCL zone, Public Works Director Jack Rice noted it is generally limited to low-impact businesses like daycares, boarding houses, small markets, etc., and, oddly enough, churches as well. Rice did note, however, that the property in question has been zoned as R2 since zoning went into effect in the neighborhood, which didn’t happen until the 1970s.
By that time, the church had long since ceased to operate, and it has been passed down through several owners over the years, all of whom have used the building as a residence. Councilwoman Avis Anderson noted that the building was built back in 1906 and originally served as the Scandinavian Lutheran Church. She also noted that she had previously served on a committee which had at one time looked at turning the vacant church into an art center.
As for the current owners, they are desperate to relieve themselves of the building, which they have been renting out to tenants, according to United Country Real Estate agent Lisa Kjelstrup, who spoke to the council on behalf of the current property owners.
Kjelstrup said the old building is in need of a myriad of repairs which the current owners cannot afford to make. Furthermore, she said selling it again as a residence is proving problematic, as the building is currently unable to pass inspection for a single-family residence and therefore no bank is willing to finance the sale of it as a home. If it stays as is, she argued that the situation would only deteriorate further to the neighborhood’s detriment.
Instead of selling it as a home, Kjelstrup noted that the current owners have worked out an agreement to sell the property to the owners of the Greenhouse Market, which has been setting up shop the last couple of years at the Glendive Greenhouse, with the intent of moving their marketplace permanently to that location. Kjelstrup said she sees that plan as a “logical use” for the old church, further adding that she has “had quite a few calls on it” from others who were interested in purchasing the property for commercial use, but not for residential use.
Kara Schultz, who co-owns the Greenhouse Market with her husband, was also at the council meeting and spoke to the couple’s intentions for the property.
Schultz said the couple is keen on the prospect as their business has proven a success and they’ve had “many requests if there was a place we could do it year round,” rather than on a seasonal basis as they have been.
Schultz also promised that though it would take time, they would do what needs to be done to renovate the old church building and keep it viable.
“We have a love of historical buildings ... We’re gonna love on that building and bring it back. It’s a gorgeous piece of Glendive history,” she said.
While Anderson said she found the prospect “exciting” and several other members of the council expressed admiration for the Schultz’s plan as well, the idea was not without opposition.
Mother and son Cheryl and MacKenzie Haggerty, who live next door to the property, expressed their concerns about approving a zone change for it to anything other than single-family residential.
Cheryl said while she has confidence in what the Greenhouse Market owners are proposing for the property, her concern is what happens if they decide to sell and move on.
“It’s not that I don’t believe in what they want to do, I think it’s awesome. It’s the future I’m concerned about,” Cheryl said. “I don’t want a boarding house next to my house where I have my grandkids. I don’t want that.”
MacKenzie said that the other neighbors on the block are either apathetic or against the zone change, but that no one from the neighborhood has spoken in favor of it, and further questioned why anyone would zero in on that property for a business venture when there are other more prominent, high-traffic locations available.
“It’s a good idea, but why on the Southside, when there are multiple places on Merrill (Avenue) where you can open a business?” MacKenzie asked.
Prior to the council’s vote, Councilman Rhett Coon asked Councilman Mike Dryden — who also serves on the City/County Planning Board — how that board’s vote on the matter broke down. The Planning Board did vote to recommend the change, sending a letter to the city to that effect.
Dryden said that the Planning Board voted by collective voice vote, and that all he heard were “ayes” and no “nays.”
He said the only voice of opposition came from Commissioner Dennis Zander, who sits on the board in an advisory capacity representing the county commissioners’ interests but is not a voting member. Zander’s opposition was based on his opinion that the result would be “spot zoning,” which is generally discouraged, Dryden noted. Zander said the same himself when he learned of the city’s vote to approve the zone change.
Reach Jason Stuart at rrreporter@rangerreview.com.