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Pennsylvania township will allow churches to rent school facilities

A local church in danger of losing the opportunity to rent school facilities will no longer have to consider searching for a new home. After receiving a letter from Alliance Defense Fund attorneys, Richland Township officials decided on Monday to change a zoning code, thus allowing Harvest Community Fellowship Church to rent school facilities without obtaining a variance.

“Churches and religious organizations are entitled to the same equal access rights as any other group,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Joel Oster. “We are pleased that the new zoning code should allow churches and schools to use the same facility without fear of violating local law.”

In a May 1 letter from a Richland Township zoning officer, Quakertown Community School District officials were informed that they would have to stop leasing space to Harvest Community Fellowship Church by the end of June. A zoning official stated that because the church was using space at the school to hold a Sunday church service, the church’s use qualified as “principal use” of the facilities. Under the unmodified zoning code, only one principal use can be made of a property without obtaining a variance.