SCOTSDALE, Ariz.  A church that wants to build in north Scottsdale will test environmental regulations imposed by the city last year.
The Arizona Republic reported that Scottsdale First Assembly of God Dream Center wants to build a complex with classrooms, administrative offices and a 1,000-seat sanctuary on 24 acres.
But the church also wants to construct a 40-foot tower and steeple rising above the area's 24-foot height limit.
The church plan was approved by the city's Development Review Board on Aug. 21, but the city council stepped in, saying the board may not have had authority to grant a zoning variance.
Councilman Ned O'Hearn said he remembered debating revisions to the Environmentally Sensitive Land Ordinance (ESLO) in the spring and discussing the church's case in particular.
"A lot of people who worked for years on ESLO protested the (board's Aug. 21) decision, and we are protesting, too. At least I am," O'Hearn said. "I'm for keeping it to 24 feet, whether it's a church or anything else."
The council voted 6-1 to review the case. No date for a hearing was set.
