The University Baptist Church located on Seventh Street may receive approval to construct a new building along side Lincoln Highway Road.

The Charleston City Council will vote on three ordinances at tonight’s meeting for the church.

The first ordinance gives final approval of the building plans.

To approve construction, the council will also have to vote to re-plat eight residential lots within the Whispering Pines Planned Unit Development.

Charleston Mayor John Inyart said there were concerns from residents about lighting and the proximity of the parking lot to other residences.

He said changes were made to the buffer and that the Board of Zoning and Planning Committee approved the plan by a 5-0 vote.

Five parking spaces were removed from the parking lot on the west side of the church and the buffer was increased from 10 feet to approximately 34 feet, according to the BZAP decision on the petition.

The final ordinance will give the church a conditional use permit to use the land as a church.

In other business, the city council will also vote on an agreement with the Coles County for Animal Control Services.

Currently, the city pays $1 per person for animal control services from the county.

The proposed agreement would increase the fee to $1.50 per person.

However, only half of the Eastern on-campus residents will be counted.

Inyart said the yearly cost of the animal control would increase from about $21,000 to $28,000 per year.

Coles County has provided animal control services to Charleston since 1979.

The city council will also host public hearings prior to the meeting at 7:15 p.m. and 7:25 p.m. respectively for public comment.

The first public hearing will be in regard to an ordinance about approving an amendment to a pre-annexation agreement with University Village Housing, LLC.

The agreement approved in 2005 required the company to pay a development fee of $1,250 per unit. The city will be refunding $250 per unit or $31,000 to the company if the amendment is approved.

Inyart said at the time, a portion of the development fee was earmarked for the construction of the Woodfall and Hawthorne drives intersection.

However, the developer constructed the intersection itself.

The second public hearing is to receive comment on vacating three alleys within the city.

Inyart said the land would go back to the property owners, and that the alleys were not utilized for utilities.

The city would retain easement over the alleys for all public and private utilities, including gas and electric.

The alleys are located between Hayes and Garfield avenues and Hayes and Grant avenues on the east of 12th Street.

The other alley runs between Adams and Washington avenues and between Division and First streets.

Matt Hopf can be reached at 581-7942 or at mthopf@eiu.edu.