After several months of debate, it appears that Fort Rock Farm will soon be the new home of St. Michael Parish. The Exeter Zoning Board of Adjustment recently accepted the parish’s revised proposal to build a church and parish center on the Newfields Road space. While St. Michael agreed to several compromises, including the elimination of a proposed multipurpose facility, opponents of the project remain unsatisfied. Critics believe that the church and its adjoining buildings will negatively impact the environment and create an eyesore on a road that many consider the scenic gateway to Exeter.

Warren Henderson is the current owner of Fort Rock Farm who originally approached St. Michael Parish with the proposition to sell. His family has owned the property for six generations. Henderson was elated by the ZBA’s recent decision.

“From the standpoint of St. Michael and the Henderson family, it was very good news. It allows us to make progress in what we think is a wonderful new life for Fort Rock Farm,” he said.

The ZBA’s decision caps several months of debate, four divisive public meetings and a surge of emotion that has affected people on both sides of the issue. Those in support of the parish’s plan are ready to move forward, but opponents refuse to admit defeat. They are now poised to appeal the ZBA’s decision.

When representatives from St. Michael first approached the ZBA back in 2007, their proposal included a 903-seat cathedral, a parish center with classrooms and offices, a 285-car parking area and a multipurpose complex. They asked the ZBA for two exceptions and a variance to town zoning laws, which would allow them to build a church in a residential zone and exceed normal height limits.

On Tuesday, Feb. 12, the ZBA accepted the proposal, but only after the church made several last minute changes to the design. They agreed to keep the church roof under 46 feet, push the parish center back 100 feet from abutting property lines and eliminate the multipurpose facility.  

“The church made many efforts to compromise its plan, to adapt its plan to meet the concerns of the abutters,” Henderson said.

But Kris Vaughan, who lives near Fort Rock Farm, doesn’t think the church went far enough. “We’re certainly open to compromise, but the church plan to date has not offered any changes to the plans that really affect the footprint of the church, which is really quite massive,” she said.

Henderson credits the ZBA for allowing both sides to speak their minds without restraint and for not dismissing the project outright. “I don’t regularly follow the ZBA. I bet they’re not often like this, but these folks handled themselves with patience and diplomacy,” he said.

Vaughan was disappointed with the ZBA’s decision. “They introduced new material only minutes before the hearing was to begin, so there wasn’t opportunity to review it, and they didn’t allow us the opportunity to respond to it,” she said. She believes that the ZBA departed from standard procedure when it allowed the parish to redesign its plan on the spot. “They seemed to be designing remedies to the plan on the hoof and, for those and other reasons, I think this is a very appealable decision,” she said.

Henderson also expects an appeal. “I would not be surprised if the hardcore opponents use any means at their disposal to appeal,” he said. According to Doug Eastman, Exeter’s building inspector, anyone who wants to appeal the decision has to do so within 30 days. “My hope is the ZBA will reaffirm (its) own decision,” Henderson said.

While Vaughan stopped short of guaranteeing an appeal, she made it sound likely.

“Many of the safety, public welfare, environmental and zoning concerns are still very much alive, and the public concern about these things appears to be growing,” she said. “I think it’s fair to say that there is a good possibility of an appeal.”

An appeal would open up another chapter in what has been an emotional roller coaster for many Exeter residents. As the town approaches other development projects, will the ghost of the Fort Rock Farm debate influence future decisions?

“There is a real concern that this could set a precedent, which essentially makes zoning ordinances either weak or meaningless,” Vaughan said. She also believes that the example this debate has set will lead to closer scrutiny when it comes to selecting and training members of the Zoning Board.

Henderson, on the other hand, remains optimistic that the town will overcome this issue. “I’m not as convinced as some that it has been all that divisive. I’m absolutely confident that when the whole thing is done, when the church is built, it’s going to look beautiful,” he said. “Ten years from now, people are going to look back and wonder what all the fuss was about.”