Bowie church

A smile flashes across The Rev. Uzooma Erondus face when he talks about his Bowie church, Maranatha Adventist Fellowship, growing and changing, but some of Erondus neighbors are not as happy about church expansion they say is too large for their residential community.

Maranatha has been holding services in an approximate 5,000 square foot building off MD Route 564 for about six years, Erondu said, and is currently seeking permits for a replacement building of nearly 29,000 square feet.

Some residents say parking and traffic are already an issue in the neighborhoods near the church and that a larger building with more parishioners would exacerbate the problem, posing a safety risk to pedestrians.

Robert Koelsch of Bowie, who lives near the church, said church members will be forced to park along the road if the parking lot fills.

Theyve asked for a 116-car parking area, and if youve ever gone by there on Saturdays, theyre close to 116 cars right now, said I think before long theyre going to expand beyond the limit of what theyre asking for. Its a concern to us for the safety of everybody around there.

A group of about around 10 residents protested the church expansion at a community meeting on Oct. 14 and a Bowie City Council meeting on Oct. 20, citing concerns such as traffic, pedestrian safety and environmental impact.

While the Bowie city government does not have zoning authority, council members are drafting a set of recommendations for the Prince Georges County planning department they hope will help address resident concerns.

Some of the recommendations include the request of a construction design so the community can better understand the churchs plans, as well as a recommendation that the Maryland State Highway Administration evaluate possible upgrades to state-owned Route 564.

It seems to me, that at a minimum, they should expand the road in front of [the church] to accommodate a dedicated left turn from Route 197 into their property that is protected and a dedicated right turn lane coming from traffic, said councilman Dennis Brady (At-Large). So that any traffic coming into their property would not have an impact on the through traffic on 564.

Bowie council members also recommended the church designate a safety officer to direct traffic before and after services, which Erondu said was a reasonable request.

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Bowie church