by Nicole Bradford
The second of a multi-phase construction project of a church campus on Riverstone Ranch Drive will move forward after earning a variance from the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Designers for the building project at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church, 1750 Riverstone Ranch Drive, were granted a variance on July 11 to temporarily defer the city’s buffer requirements for the upcoming phase after assuring commissioners that the requirements would be fully met as future phases unfolded.
A master plan for the full 20 acres that make up the church campus could require up to seven phases of construction, with much of the later phases along the southwest property line, according to Pete Ed Garrett, partner at Studio Red Architects.
“All master plans need to have flexibilities and options because we’re not sure what we may be doing in terms of ministry needs and the type of buildings to support future ministries three years out, 10 years out.”
Pastor Douglas Guthrie said the church, established in Houston in 1975, has been looking forward to and working on the development of the campus for years.
“We have a number of people from Pearland and Houston and Friendswood that belong to our parish,” he told the board. “We want a beautiful campus. We want this to be even more beautiful than what we have.”
The site was annexed to Pearland in 2002, and the 10,124-square-foot church was built in 2013. The second phase will occupy just over 2 acres of the site.
“The church as always been a place for refuge, serenity, prayer and an occasional Boy Scout outing,” said church member and scoutmaster Phil Herd. “The church is going to do more than (buffer requirements) but they want to do it at a time that is appropriate.”
Pearland requires a 30-foot buffer or a 25-foot buffer with a six-foot masonry wall for non-residential areas next to single-family homes.
