Parkland County revokes GraceLife Church expansion permit

The GraceLife Church of Edmonton has had its expansion development permit revoked by Parkland County.

The decision came after residents living near the controversial church west of Edmonton filed appeals and spoke out about the congregation not being good neighbours and the expansion not being a good fit for the rural area.

The Parkland County Subdivision and Development Appeal Board held hearings on Jan. 27 and March 10.

In a 23-page decision released Wednesday, the county revoked the church’s permit because of concerns over traffic and parking.

Residents also raised concerns over the size of the expansion and noise, but the board found there wasn’t enough evidence to support those claims.

“Even though that was something that we didn’t necessarily win directly on the appeal, it’s still, I think, the biggest thing that just brings to light the problems of developing something that size,” said Hiroki Currie, who lives in the Sunset View Acres subdivision across the road from the church and was one of the neighbours to express concern over the expansion.

Those who live near the church feel the proposed final build, which they liken to a megachurch, would be more appropriate inside Edmonton and along a major highway like Anthony Henday Drive, where such similar facilities already exist.

“Really, we feel, comparison wise, (the expansion is) something that belongs in the city, where they have area structure plans, which incorporate having religious institutions that can be that size.”

1:07 Appeal board hears arguments over GraceLife Church expansion

GraceLife applied to the county last year to add 50,000 square feet to the existing facility: a new, 25,000-square-foot sanctuary and 25,000-square-foot education centre with 13 classrooms and a gymnasium.

The expansion meant Sunday church attendance was expected to rise from 800 to 900 congregants over two services to 1,200 to 1,500 people in one large gathering.

“I can understand the reason of why they want to expand, but expanding that large for the size of the property in an area like this, there’s nothing that even compares to something like that,” Currie said.

The next-closest facilities in comparison are some rural community halls a few kilometres away from GraceLife: Clymont Hall on Highway 60, which has capacity for 300-400 people, and Woodbend Hall on Winterburn Road south of Highway 627, which can hold 234 people.

GraceLife Church is built on a former farmer’s field a few kilometres west of Edmonton city limits, surrounded by low-density subidvisions build in the 1970s, gravel roads, Enoch Cree Nation to the north and the Edmonton Corn Maze directly beside it. Currie said the scale of the project just didn’t fit the area.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“They were able to come out here and get cheap land — and it might have great access for the highway, but that highway is our only access in and out of Edmonton.

“So it has a direct impact on everybody that works in the city, or commutes to the city, or goes out the other way.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "So it has a direct impact on everybody that works in the city, or commutes to the city, or goes out the other way."

View image in full screen

On Nov. 15, 2024, the church was issued a development permit to add to their existing building, along Highway 627 and Range Road 262.

Enoch Cree Nation, which is directly across the highway from the church, and Parkland County residents living on acreages near GraceLife each submitted appeals against the permit to the county.

Those who submitted appeals said they had a number of concerns with the expansion, including increased traffic on Highway 627, water use and the fit in the rural area.

They also said the church hasn’t been a good neighbour, especially during the pandemic.

For several months in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the church located just west of Edmonton defied health orders and hosted hundreds of people for its weekly services.

1:50 Large crowd of GraceLife Church supporters try to take down temporary RCMP fencing

• Large crowd of GraceLife Church supporters try to take down temporary RCMP fencing
• GraceLife Church closure protesters park vehicles on Enoch Cree Nation land without permission
• Crowd gathers outside GraceLife Church west of Edmonton Sunday to protest closure
• Calgary convoy heads to GraceLife Church in show of support
• AHS erects fencing around GraceLife Church west of Edmonton
• GraceLife Church fenced off as Alberta Health Service ‘physically closes’ Parkland County facility
• Does GraceLife Church shutdown signal more enforcement in Alberta?
• Crowd gathers outside fenced off GraceLife Church near Edmonton
• Court rules GraceLife Church pastor James Coates’ rights weren’t violated
• Judge dismisses charter application of GraceLife pastor on trial for violating health orders
• Lawyer argues AHS violated GraceLife Church pastor’s charter rights on Day 2 of trial
• Trial begins for James Coates, the GraceLife pastor fighting COVID-19 restrictions
• COVID-19 health order violation trial begins for GraceLife pastor James Coates

Previous Video

Next Video

The church did not adhere to rules on wearing masks or keeping distances and ignored a closure order, even as fencing was put up around the building on Highway 627 in Parkland County.

GraceLife Church pastor James Coates was also arrested. The standoff between the church and public health officials was contentious, drawing an anti-restriction crowd to protest outside the facility.

Enoch was also forced to block off entrances to the reserve, after demonstrators parked their vehicles without permission on Enoch Cree Nation land and resisted requests to leave.

RCMP ended up blocking off the surrounding neighbourhoods to contain the protests, which residents said led to lengthy detours in order to get to and from their homes, plus showing ID.

Currie said he has mixed feelings about the development permit being revoked.

“Unfortunately, I think the happiness of winning this point is going to be short-lived,” he said. While the neighbours are pleased with the decision going in their favour, they don’t know if GraceLife will apply again and whether that will lead to a repeat situation.

Bigger than that, they say they worry about the county approving other big projects that clash with the lifestyle that drew residents to living in a rural setting.

“It’s trying to keep that feel of the neighbourhood, I think,” he said, adding he isn’t against development — it just has to be right for the area.

Neighbours in the country know each other, they slow down in their vehicles passing each other when out walking dogs or on horseback, they have a shared way of life that isn’t always seen in the city, and Currie hopes that can be preserved in the years to come.

“If we want to retain a rural character, that’s something that has to be very clear and written and updated in the area structure plan that right now has not,” Currie said.

Edmonton is rapidly expanding outwards and Currie said that growth isn’t limited to city limits — meaning he’d like to see the county be forward-thinking about future land use in order to ensure developments are appropriate for the areas they’re proposed in.

“That’s something that we’re familiar with in seeing what happens, you know, just east of us in the city — those area structure plans are worked on 20 years before where everything is planned out: where schools are going to be, what kind of density of of living is going to be there, what kind of amenities are going to be brought to that area,” Currie said.

“I’m not saying that’s what we should have specifically here, but we need to know that, and we should be working on that now because the city is growing out this way.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I'm not saying that's what we should have specifically here, but we need to know that, and we should be working on that now because the city is growing out this way."

Area residents asked the church last year for an apology over how they were affected during that tense period of time, but told Global News they never received one.

Currie hoped that rift between residents and the church can be bridged, but said GraceLife needs to extend an olive branch.

“Start with an apology. It can’t make things worse. It can’t. I want to feel safe in my community, and I want people to enjoy this community. And if they want to get to know the people in the community, then they need to take some steps,” Currie said.

Global News has reached out to GraceLife Church about the permit being revoked. This story will be updated if a response is received.