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A rezoning request that concerns the fate of an historic Cumberland church has been put off. The church for which German Church Road was named is in jeopardy of being demolished to build a convenience store and gas station.
City-County Councilor Ben Hunter filed a request this week to delay the hearing so all concerned parties can meet to discuss.
An out of state company has asked the council to rezone the site to allow auto-oriented use, like gas stations. The congregation has agreed to sell the property to the company as they plan to move into a new building, saying it’s too expensive to renovate the 100-year old church.
The Town of Cumberland is using the debate to highlight another issue. Under Unigov, the consolidated city-county government adopted by Indianapolis in 1970, the Town has no control over land-use issues on its Marion County side. Cumberland officials say they would like to see property redeveloped into something that positively impacts the Town’s identity, not just another gas station.
The Metropolitan Development Commission, which gave the request a favorable opinion last month, will take up the issue at a public hearing March 18.
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