The Wrightsville Beach Planning Board will consider a conditional use permit at St. Therese Catholic Church at 209 S. Lumina Ave. The permit would be for the building of assembly space that would include a 3,817 square foot multipurpose pavilion, providing 2,545 square feet open air, covered deck and 1,272 square feet of conditioned support space. The assembly space would be located behind the church and before the dunes, town manager Tim Owens said.
Owens said the multipurpose, two-story, open-air pavilion would be used for activities and would seat about 180 people, with bathrooms on one side and a catering kitchen. The facility would be located behind the sanctuary, he said, and would also require expanded parking.
The town’s planning department said it approves of the addition as long as it doesn’t host events after 10 p.m. and the church installs a sound buffer on the property’s south end.
In its filing with the town, St. Therese Catholic Church said the pavilion would provide better shelter to attendants than the event tent and outdoor deck space that is currently used by the church.
The permit would also expand parking on the property. At least one neighbor of the church wrote to a town aldermen opposing the project, arguing it would increase traffic, noise and block out light for neighbors, as well as increase stormwater runoff. The planning board hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2 at 6 p.m. at Wrightsville Beach Town Hall conference center.
