Council Approves Crosspoint Youth Center

By Anne Marie Kilday

Crosspoint Church’s plan to build a new Youth Center on Bellaire Blvd. was unanimously approved Monday by the Bellaire City Council.
The church was seeking a specific use permit that would allow the two-story Youth Center to be built next to the church’s main campus, which is located on Bellaire Blvd. at Avenue B.
The council approved an amendment by Councilman Andrew Friedberg, which would require the church to plant a “buffer” of trees and shrubs along the back fence on the south side of the property, to shield residents on Bellaire Court from potential noise and light.
Church officials and architects had worked closely with neighbors on that small, curve-shaped street, to adapt their original plans to meet concerns about traffic and potential noise.
Crosspoint Church Pastor Shannon Tanner and Architect Roy Harper, a church member, met several times with neighbors on Bellaire Court.
“We are trying to be a good neighbor,” Harper said. “The neighbors had some excellent suggestions on how to make that work.”
Tanner stressed that the new Youth Center will serve middle- and high school students, in an effort “to shape tomorrow’s leaders.” The new Youth Center would primarily be used on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings, but the church would also make it available for community events, Tanner said.
Crosspoint Church is the “sister campus” of West University Baptist Church. Roger Patterson is senior pastor of both churches.
West University Baptist Church’s attempt to build a new Youth Center in West U became a focal point of controversy earlier this year, leading to a contentious municipal election. A slate of four candidates who opposed the church’s plan were elected in early May.
Although a proposed real estate swap between the city of West U and the Church fell through, West U Baptist is still planning to build a new Youth Center on its own property. In early May, the West U Baptist Church filed a preliminary application for a variance to build the youth ministry building in the 3800 block of Amherst.