Praying for Parking Spaces
Do you ever pray for a parking space in a crowded lot? I have a bit of a hang up about this and can’t remember ever doing so. My prayer life often falls far short of what I aspire to, so I struggle to see how my trivial need for a place to park should make the cut. My wife, however, happily prays for parking spaces and a great many other simple things. She takes God at his word when he calls us to bring all our requests to him, and it is one of the many things I admire about her.
Today I am writing about a prayer request for parking spaces that I am eager to pray for. It concerns the parking plan for our Phase II construction project. These days I am regularly asked, “When does construction start?” The answer is the same as it has been for several months now: We will start when the City of Vancouver approves our plans. The process has actually gone quite smoothly so far, but a couple weeks ago we learned the city has a problem with the parking layout we proposed.
The graphic on the right represents what we presented to the city: 14 head-in parking spaces along our north property line with a 5-foot landscape buffer between the parking lot and our next-door neighbor. However, code requires a 15-foot landscape buffer for a commercial project adjacent to a residential lot.
This issue came up in our pre-application conference with the city and we were told the 5-foot buffer would be sufficient since the building will be set so far from the north property line. But this city is now saying we need to meet the code, and so far, our appeals have not resulted in any concession. If this ruling stands, those 14 head-in spaces will become 6 parallel-parking spaces. Our engineering firm is working hard to see if the city will reconsider. This means a delay in the permit approval process, but we believe it is worth it given how badly we need additional parking.
As I have been sharing this news with people who ask, many are inclined to vent about foolish codes and government officials. I would like to say very clearly: Don’t do that. Not even in the privacy of your own home. Jesus says that kind of talk is totally inappropriate for his people even if your assessment is correct. (Mt 5:22) In truth, the city has been excellent to work with and this code has a good purpose. I know I would not be thrilled if a large commercial building was built right up close to my property line. Turns out, the root of this particular code is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. We desire to do this well.
We believe our original plan has excellent merit and would not unduly disturb our neighbor, no more than the identical north-line spaces in our existing lot. We have engineers with expertise and experience working to make our case. I would encourage you to pray for this parking issue. Praying instead of venting is the way of Jesus. And if the ruling doesn’t go our way, oh well. Our parking layout is honestly a small matter and not worth getting upset about. Making disciples is our mission, and we can do that no matter what happens.
Pastor Toby
Categories: Evergreen Connection