Millstone Road vacant space as place of worship
Summary
A vacant former contractor's/storage building at 60 Millstone Road will become the Light of Christ church, ending a 15-year search for a Franklin Township home by a congregation of about 70. The main sticking point was parking — only 11 on-site spaces against 31 required — solved with an agreement to use 40 spaces at the neighboring HOPES CAP building on Sundays. The board added conditions on handicap parking, striping, and notice requirements for weddings and funerals.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 5
- Last 30 days
- 4
Rising — discussed at 4 meetings since Oct 1, 2026, up from 0 in the two months before.
Impact analysis
No township cost — the church is reusing an existing vacant building with minimal exterior changes.
The congregation gains a permanent Franklin Township home, and the neighborhood gains an active use for a long-vacant building.
Neighbors on Battle Place could see some Sunday traffic, though the traffic engineer testified the impact would be minimal.
Mentions & discussions (5)
Franklin Township Council Work Session/Regular Meeting - Oct 27, 2026
A dozen residents opposed the zoning application, citing traffic on the two-lane scenic corridor, COVID-era traffic studies, and off-site funding concerns. The attorney cautioned the council can't intervene with the quasi-judicial zoning board, and federal RLUIPA law limits local leverage.
Zoning Board Chairman Floats Parking Reduction As Mosque Hearing Grows Heated
MOUNTING AN OPPOSITION – Martina Bailie, attorney for the project objectors, questions her traffic engineer, Lee Klein, during the October 22 Zoning Board hearing. A proposal to sharply reduce the number of parking spaces at a planned South Middlebus...
Franklin Township Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting - Oct 22, 2026
Board members and residents pressed on how a parking cap would actually be enforced — what happens when car 76 shows up, or buses arrive. The township engineer described fire-lane striping, curbing, and possible fencing as enforcement tools.
Franklin Township Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting - Oct 15, 2026
Neighbors worry a 19,350-square-foot worship hall designed for up to 458 daily occupants will far outgrow the promised 50-80 worshippers per service, overwhelming a single-lane county road and the site's 97 constructed parking spaces. The board is weighing land-banked parking and permit thresholds as enforcement tools.
Franklin Township Zoning Board of Adjustment Meeting - Oct 1, 2026
A vacant former contractor's/storage building at 60 Millstone Road will become the Light of Christ church, ending a 15-year search for a Franklin Township home by a congregation of about 70. The main sticking point was parking — only 11 on-site spaces against 31 required — solved with an agreement to use 40 spaces at the neighboring HOPES CAP building on Sundays. The board added conditions on handicap parking, striping, and notice requirements for weddings and funerals.
Related development
Tawheed Dahwah Center - House of Worship
Neighbors worry about daily traffic on an already-congested county road, parking overflow onto lawns, and whether the promised attendance caps will hold over time.
House of Worship, 630 South Middlebush Road
Residents fear major traffic increases on South Middlebush Road and pressure on emergency access; the outcome rests with the zoning board.
The Light of Christ International Fellowship Ministries - Place of Worship
Neighbors will get a fully re-noticed hearing before the board decides.
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda and when it's voted on, at most once a day.
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