Two area churches are growing and expanding in the St. Michael-Albertville area in the new year.
Elk River based church, The Crossing, recently began a church plant in St. Michael that rents space from St. Michael Cinema.
“The theater has a conditional use permit so that arrangement is between the theater and whomever they are renting space to,” City planner Marc Weigle said recently.
While one church plant begins in the area, another continues its search for a permanent home. St. Michael-Albertville has been home to Westbridge Church for the last nine years and pastor Jeremiah Curran says they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. The church, which currently holds two Sunday morning services at Middle School West has initiated the process to purchase a little more than 29 acres in St. Michael.
Westbridge Pastor Jeremiah Curran. (File photo)
The property, currently bank-owned, is located in Town Center North, and is directly across Frankfort Parkway from The Legacy.
“Right now they are in due diligence process and at the last council meeting clarified that a place of worship could be built there,” Weigle said.
The property is zoned residential so per the code, a church can be built on the land.
“Realistically, we’re a couple of years out,” Curran said. “We can purchase the land without any debt, but I don’t know that we could qualify for enough to build what we want to build yet.”
Westbridge was previously attempting to rezone land in Albertville but the council denied the request this past summer. This process, in St. Michael, would be markedly different. The land Westbridge is eyeing is zoned residential, resting just to the west of the current Highlands development. St. Michael ordinances approve the construction of a church within residential-zoned areas.