City Council Approves Special Use Permit for White Rock Chapel

At a Special Meeting on December 4, the Addison City Council approved a Special Use Permit request for White Rock Chapel to allow a religious institution at 5555 Celestial Road. Former slaves and their descendants established the original White Rock Chapel east of the creek in 1884. After enduring flooding for years, the church moved to its current location in 1918 on land donated by a white landowner who frequently worshipped with their congregation. The property is currently owned by Dr. Donald Wesson and his family who plan to continue to use the site as a church and provide associated educational programming addressing the unique history of the site, congregation, and its relationship to the surrounding area. 

Improvements to the site include interior and exterior modifications to the Worship Hall, a new pavilion, new landscaping, a small water feature internal to the site, pedestrian pathways, and improvements to the parking lot. The church will utilize both the existing Fellowship Hall and Worship Hall. There are no renovations proposed to the existing 618-square-foot Fellowship Hall which includes an assembly area, kitchen, restroom facilities, and storage area. There are improvements planned to the interior floor plan and exterior façade of the Worship Hall, but no expansion of the existing building. The structure is 1,961 square feet and will accommodate a 54-occupant assembly hall, an office, restroom facilities, a classroom, and a storage area. 

The church's decomposed parking lot will be modified to accommodate two handicap-accessible spaces and will have a total of 18 spaces on site (including the handicap spaces). Per the Town’s on-street parking regulations, parking on Celestial Road and Winwood Road is prohibited. 

More than 70% of the site is landscaped open space, significantly exceeding the required 20%. Additionally, 72 new trees (47 shade trees and 25 ornamental trees) will be installed throughout the site to provide screening from adjacent properties. A bioretention pond is also proposed at the southeast corner of the site.

You can watch the Council's White Rock Chapel discussion here and read the presentation here.