Jacksonville Baptists Denied Their Church, Sue City

13 September 2009 - 11:00am

The First Baptist Church of Mandarin applied to build a 249,000 sq. ft. complex in a rural area. They're suing the city in federal court, on the grounds that they're getting "unequal and discriminatory treatment."

"Commissioners unanimously rejected the zoning application after a five-hour hearing in May. They concluded the complex would set a precedent for inappropriate land use in the area and would negatively affect the orderly development of St. Johns County, according to Stevenson's letter. Commissioners also expressed concerns about "urban sprawl" and the impact on traffic, noise, lighting and other issues affecting residents."

Source: Jacksonville.com, September 16, 2009
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Short of erasing existing political and jurisdictional boundaries, citizens and officials need to develop the capacity to work across boundaries according to the "problem-sheds" of the land and water issues we face in the 21st century.