The Village City Council on Nov. 1 considered a request to rezone 9501 North May Avenue from commercial C2 to a planned unit development so Vineyard Church can occupy the former Mill Creek Carpet space.

Speaker 1 said the intent was "for the Vineyard Church to occupy where Mill Creek Carpet used to be" and estimated the space at about 20,000 square feet. Staff noted C2 zoning restricts churches in some centers and that the PUD would be the vehicle to allow the religious use.

Property representatives and owners told the council they opposed the rezoning. Speaker 2 said, "My concern is that we allow this — they're not really developing anything" and warned that a congregation could later expand and occupy the entire building, leaving commercial tenants without renewed leases. Owners also cited shared-parking and alley access issues and said approval could limit future tenant options and rental income.

Staff described the storefront as vacant for over a year and located in a strip development near the northeast corner of U.S. 36 and Western. Speaker 4 said the location "is a good spot, nice quality" and staff thought a church could be a reasonable use that would bring sales-tax-generating visitors.

Council asked about congregation size and lease terms; no attendance figures were provided. A staff/comment record indicated initial lease terms were scheduled for 10 years, and council members asked whether shorter-term options or reversion provisions had been negotiated.

Speaker 1 noted receipt of letters from nearby property owners, including a submission from Boss Real Estate (David Boss), and asked members to review those materials. No formal vote or final action on the rezoning appears in the recorded transcript.

Next steps: the item remained in discussion in the meeting record; the transcript does not show a recorded vote or formal adoption.