The Virginian-Pilot
©
VIRGINIA BEACH
After the City Council voted Tuesday night to allow Wave Church to install a large electronic sign on its property, Erica Berrios stood outside City Hall and thought about what that meant for her. She lives next to the church.
"My kids on the swing set will be watching the sign," she said. "As I'm sitting out by my pool, I will be watching the sign."
Other people living near the large church offered their own grim scenarios.
Keith Canty told the council that property values will fall, "just as surely as if you put a heli landing pad, 7-Eleven or drive-in movie theater in the middle of the neighborhood."
The City Council was not swayed. Members voted 8-1 to allow an 8-foot-tall LED, or light-emitting diode, sign in front of the Wave Church building at North Great Neck Road and Old Donation Parkway.
Councilwoman Barbara Henley's was the lone no vote.
The city is working on an LED ordinance, but it's yet to be enacted. Meanwhile, city planners struggle with each sign application on a case-by-case basis as neighbors clash.
Wave Church attorney Stephen Lentz argued the city has allowed LEDs all over the city, including at least three at public schools. He noted that without a permit Wave Church could put up four small signs in different areas of the property. He said his client was essentially offering "one sign for four."
Councilman Jim Wood, who represents the neighborhoods around the church, agreed.
"If the council were to do nothing or deny this, they could put up four signs flashing any which way with video streaming. Frankly, I don't want four LED signs there.
Wave Church agreed to increase the time between flashing messages to eight seconds and to not stream video as part of the permit.
While about 40 church members left happy, neighbors griped.
Andrea Riddle said, "We do not want Great Neck Road to look like Virginia Beach Boulevard. Virginia Beach should never look like Las Vegas or Times Square."
Aaron Applegate, (757) 222-5122, aaron.applegate@pilotonline.com
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LOOK, WHY DON"T WE JUST STOP TODAY.......
Look..does it make you feel better to continue to post your whining complaints on here? I mean seriously, your typing out of anger and frustration and its going no where. YOU LOST!! AGAIN!That's it story is over...and NO YOUR not going to fire the council people either, why? Because you won't have the votes then either.STOP exaggerating..HOLY CRAP.seriously you really timed the traffic one day to be 5 minutes?? WOW! Thats amazing...I challenge all reading these posts to google the people writing the posts, ericab, profilicious, and you will find that they complain about everything under the sun all over the internet. MAY BE THIS IS WHY YOU KEEP LOOSING!!! You talk about the people on here fighting for the cause and how they are un christian like..wowo but yet you applaud all the one's that are negative and hateful...SO NOW TAKE IT AS WELL AS YOU GIVE IT....Enough with the helicopter thats old news.let us know if you want a ride...as far as the sign..LET THERE BE LIGHT!!!WOOHOO!!!
Dear stopwhining47,
You should proof read your comments...or at least learn proper grammar. "Your" is a possesive noun, you should use "you're". It is a contraction for "you are". Also, you meant to use "maybe", not "may be". Finally, "loosing" is not a word, the correct word is "losing". Typical wave church enthusiast....
My Neighborhood
I grew up in Great Neck Meadows. I'm glad the church has been getting so big and helping others, sucks they have to hide behind religion. As far as people complaining about the sign, this is the same reason it takes two-hours to get to Nags Head when it should take 20 minutes. People that are so concerned with "their" way of life. "Your way of life" is getting in the way of the population. I say put a stage there too and host shows. I loved the fireworks display they had last 4th of July! Not sure how respectful it was to shoot them out of the graveyard, but don't go there!
Everything is normal up and down the East coast then you hit the conservative area and boom, no coastal interstate. Please turn this place into something fun so the kids have something better to do than getting yelled at for skateboarding at the beach, or having their pants too low or bathing suits too small! Let's step into the future with the rest of the United States and let all the small smudges and curmudgeons in My Neighborhood find another hole in a hill to be important in!!
what a cause to live for..
The saddest thing about this whole issue is that there are people who truly have so little to live for that their cause in life becomes fighting a church over a sign. In a world that is in dire need of help, whether you go to that church or agree with it is irrelevant, how could you seriously spend time fighting a church on a sign? I even saw one comment about somebody complaining about traffic coming out of the church?!? My gosh, heaven forbid you are held up 5 minutes because people have to exit a church building. And that person is calling something else selfish?!? What should people do, ride bikes to church so their leaving church doesnt' disrupt your sunday routine? And even then, would you judge the bikes they ride? To all these critics, please be consumed with something that matters. What are you doing with your life? Who are you helping? What homeless are you feeding? What people are you encouraging? Christian or non-christian, I would bet that if you began to do something even remotely close to any of the above, you would have less interest in a church and it's sign. And now wave church is a monster because it won't allow a neighborhood to dictate what it does
Paved paradise to put up a parking lot (cont....)
Huh!!?? You have no idea what I do or who I am... sooo you have the right to call me selfish? For your information, I teach young college students (so that in itself is giving to others), I have done my share of philanthropy including feeding the homeless at shelters as well as in church in addition to being very active in trying to protect the environment through various organizations so yes... when people have plenty of means to go to a MEGA church and they infringe on the rights of others I have the right to voice my disappointment and disgust!!!!! Watch what you say before you speak... "it is better to say nothing and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". I have plenty in my life to do but the huge sign for the huge asphalt paved church bothers me so in my ability to express my first amendment rights, I intend to make my opinion known. Most churches serve to provide for those in the community not the other way around.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot AND an UGLY sign
Whatup, glad that you are happy about the sign, my guess is that you don't live near the church therefore, the glaring reminder that I spent a good price for my home in a good neighborhood to have it look like a shopping mall area doesn't affect you! Not to mention the fact that I am STOPPED for the traffic to clear from the mega-church every Sunday for at least 5 min. (I timed it one day). To say it is annoying is an understatement. The "church" is ugly to begin with.... and to think that a sign is going to save a soul is absolutely ignorant. Good for you Wave church mega worshipers.... just think of what heaven will look like when you pave paradise here on earth to put up a parking lot, God forbid (no pun intended) what you will do up there (or wherever you believe heaven is), I am offended that this sign will go up. The City council is so fearful to appear non-christian like to acquiesce to these folks that they are cowards in trying to represent the community however, we have witnessed this before with the 31st park "vote". Why should this be any different. I just hope that I am not paying for the cops that stop the traffic but I probably am.
Great Church
I am so glad the church got approval for the sign. Maybe the sign will serve to save one lost soul. If so it's worth it. It's funny, or should I say sad, that not as much fuss is heard if a bar or go-go puts up a sign. Let this be a triumph for God. So those who oppose this sign should worry more about their salvation instead of a sign displaying a place of worship.
"...Let this be a triumph
"...Let this be a triumph for God..." - w'up
Based on the logic above it must have been a defeat of "god" when the city denied wave the ability to land a helicopter at the wcc.
But congratulations on your triumph!!! Wow, an 8 ft sign, as opposed to 4 smaller ones. Yep, a real triumph...
I can see the church acting this way
I attended the Wave Church for about 5 months a number of years ago. However, though it's a contemporary service which I like, I found the service to be significantly lacking in the Word of the Lord. So, I left.
Fast-forward to last Christmas season. I went to the Christmas eve service with a friend in the new multi-million dollar building, a great place for sure, but the Word was lacking even more than in the past. After about 45 minutes of listening to Steve Kelly ramble about church members and their children with photos on the jumbotrons behind the state(that seemed to be the basis for the story of Jesus as he kept repeating over and over "it's all about a baby/child"), interspersed with songs that could barely pass for contemporary hymns and repeated requests for money, I left the service pretty appalled. I had noted while in the building that there is not a crucifix anywhere to be seen nor is there a Bible that I could find.
Thinking this might have been a watered-down service for Christmas visitors, I went back a few weeks later to see if things were different, but it was more of the same: I got to listen to S Kelly gloat/brag about his boat's new outriggers, as
Does a church really need an
Does a church really need an 8 foot tall LED sign? I don't get it. It's church, not a shopping mall.