Megachurch fight to resume

Derwood Bible plan brings septic issue to table

Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005

People who have lobbied for years to protect the Agricultural Reserve from encroachment feel vindicated by the County Council’s decision last week to deny a large-scale development and sewer hookups in the rural preserve, but many say the fight is not over.

They point to Derwood Bible Church, which is seeking to build a large campus in Laytonsville without the help of public sewer, as the next telltale issue affecting the county’s jewel reserve. Its plan proposes an alternative ‘‘multi-use” septic system.

Councilman Michael J. Knapp (D-Dist. 2) of Germantown has proposed legislation that would limit the capacity of such alternative systems in the reserve.

Two other council members have proposed legislation aimed at the use of sand-mound septic, yet another method of sewage disposal without public service.

The council vote to prohibit new extensions of water and sewer service into the reserve – a 93,000 area that stretches across the upcounty – was unanimous.

‘‘It was a courageous vote on the part of the County Council that was required if they were going to ensure they say ‘no’ to mega-institutions,” said Dolores Milmoe, a conservation advocate for the Audubon Naturalist Society. She said it was not an anti-church action as some have charged.

‘‘We have almost 60 houses of worship [located in the reserve] that are of a scale that is appropriate,” she said.

Jane Evans, president of Citizens to Preserve the Reserve, said, ‘‘We understand churches need to grow and we hope they can move into areas that need to be developed.”

Also last Tuesday, the council denied the application of Silver Spring’s Bethel World Outreach Church, which had sought to develop a 119-acre reserve parcel off Brink Road in Germantown.

The Bethel application, which asked for a public sewer extension, was one of the first for a large-scale private institution in the reserve and helped trigger the formation of a county study group in 2004.

That group, the Private Institutional Facilities Working Group, evaluated how the county could simultaneously address a policy that allowed PIFs, non-profit institutions, to locate in low-density zones with higher-density projects while also protecting water quality.

Its recommendation forwarded this summer was for a limit on the amount of ground that could be paved or built over, providing a minimum level of water absorption and thereby protecting water quality.

Council members last week cited their firm belief that there should be no new sewer extensions in the reserve in denying Bethel.

Since most of the private institution applications for development in the Ag Reserve have been from churches and the projects have seemed to have little support, some have alleged a bias against the religious community.

Others have said that is not the case.

‘‘The farming community said they were not against churches, places of worship or other private institutions located in the agricultural reserve,” said Jeremy Criss, the agricultural service manager for the county. ‘‘What they are concerned about is the large campus-like-style they have become.”

The future

Derwood Bible Church owns a 226-acre site on the northeast side of Laytonsville and Griffith roads. Plans call for a 1,500-seat church as well as several other buildings, including sports and education facilities. Estimates are the project would require a 19,500-gallon-per-day septic capacity.

The council voted to defer action on the Derwood Bible application pending discussion and action on Knapp’s proposed legislation, which seeks to limit capacity to the current reserve RDT zone standard of 600 gallons per day per residence. One house per 25 acres is allowed in the zone.

A public hearing on the legislation is scheduled for Jan. 19.

Evans, of Citizens to Preserve the Reserve, said her group’s highest priority now is to lobby against the acceptance of Derwood’s application.

‘‘Unless they address this type of mega-plex Derwood is planning to build, the council will face more problems,” she said. ‘‘They will see additional PIFs trying to develop using septic instead of water and sewer.”

She said limits must be placed on the size of the multi-use systems.

Pastor Todd Heishman, ministry and operations pastor at Derwood Bible, supports the council’s decision to ban water and sewer extensions in the reserve.

‘‘We have no problem with that at all,” Heishman said. ‘‘That was the original intent. Once they run public water and sewer, that will damage the integrity of the land and it will make farming difficult in the future.”

Heishman was happy that his Derwood application was deferred. It will give the church more time to meet with farmers and citizens groups.

In response to concerns, Derwood has already consolidated its project plans, changed the access roads and created two contiguous farming lots, Heishman said.

‘‘We are still working with the community to make sure they are an integral part of the changes we are trying to do,” Heishman said. ‘‘We are not trying to put a shopping mall out there. This process is just getting started.”

Heishman said he believes the amendment proposed by Knapp on multi-use septic systems is a good idea, but said his provisions may be too restrictive in the scope of the capacity limitations.

Milmoe, of the Audubon Naturalist Society, is concerned about the use of independent systems because she believes it will be hard to enforce capacity caps.

‘‘We don’t think multi-use septic systems are a good idea at all,” Milmoe said. ‘‘They allow a scale which would have major impacts on agriculture and the rural community.”

Upcounty farmer Wade Butler, of Butler’s Orchard, is in a unique position.

While he is a farmer and supports efforts to protect the reserve, he also wants to be able to sell some of his land as he looks to retirement. The application of another church seeking to build on a parcel of his land was denied by the council last week.

Christian Life Center had planned to buy a 25-acre stretch of Butler’s land off Wildcat Road in Germantown. He currently owns 250 acres.

Butler has mixed feelings on the vote to prohibit new sewer service in the Agricultural Reserve.

‘‘It’s probably a good thing,” he said. ‘‘Putting these large-scale churches in the Ag Reserve is not the right thing to do. But it is bad for agriculture too. It is the loss of an option for farmers for the sale of potential land.”

It is a very complicated matter, he said.

‘‘We are not terribly disappointed we lost that,” Butler said in reference to Christian Life Center. ‘‘We like farming. What are doing is a way of life for my family and our employees.”

But Butler is concerned about the county limiting the value of farmland. He said that sometimes farmers need the money developers are willing to pay for subdivided parcels in order to continue to farm their remaining land.

It is very hard for farmers nearing retirement to find other farmers to buy their operations, and now that’s the only choice farmers have, he said.