Conditional use permit for Holy Cross Church subject of Mattawa council discussion

MATTAWA — What is and isn’t allowed under the provisions of a conditional use permit was the subject of extensive discussion at the Oct. 3 Mattawa City Council. The rules will have an impact on an event sponsored by the Holy Cross Catholic Church, scheduled for this weekend. 

Church officials were notified during the last week of August that some of the events at the church did not conform with its conditional use permit. That includes annual commemoration of the parish founding, scheduled for Sept. 12.  

Rachelle Bradley of SCJ Consulting, the city’s planner, said parish officials must submit a conditional use permit application before events will be allowed at the church. 

“They won’t be able to have their festival on the twelfth, if nothing proceeds?” asked Council member Tony Acosta.  

A parade traditionally is part of the festival, which requires a separate permit. Parish officials submitted an application for the parade, which the council approved Aug. 6 after extensive discussion – and with conditions. Bradley said it’s the only activity that will be allowed in the city limits. 

“They can have the parade. But any follow-up activities that are not related to worship or religious activities on site will not be permitted,” Bradley said. “At that time, and if we were to receive information about that, then they would be issued a notice to cease and desist, and that can lead to fines.”  

Council member Alex Heredia asked how quickly the application could be processed, given the timeline. 

“It’s not possible to process that before the twelfth,” Bradley said. 

Acosta expressed concern about events at the church, and whether they conformed to the permitted uses, in July. City Attorney Kathryn Kenison said city officials had received complaints about activities at the church from other Mattawa residents, some in the neighborhood. 

The church, 301 Eighth St., is bordered by residences on two sides and farmland across the street.  

Acosta asked if parish officials were notified, and Bradley said information on city requirements was provided to the architects working on a project to expand the church, which was completed in early August.  

“It doesn't seem that the documents that were provided to the bishop and the architect team were communicated to the staff,” Bradley said, “and so that's why we had a meeting with them last week, is so that we could communicate that, provide it to them. That was an opportunity for them to be informed.”  

However, the application process involves an initial public hearing, reviews by various agencies, and separate review by the city’s hearings examiner, Bradley said. 

Mayor Maria Celaya said city officials did send a notice to the parish, but Esperanza Sepulveda, the parish secretary and event coordinator, said the email was unclear in its intent. 

“It was ‘for the next event that you guys are planning if someone could be at the council meeting.’ So (church officials) never responded because there was really no question to be answered,” Sepulveda said. 

Council member Wendy Lopez said she believed the time frame put parish officials at a disadvantage when trying to meet the city’s conditions. 

“I feel like if they’re going to send a representative, they should be informed of the event permit rules,” Lopez said.  

It’s an annual event, Lopez said, and city officials did not set conditions for the parade until early August. The information should have been provided to the parade organizer earlier than it actually was. 

“He didn’t know what rules to follow, and he should have been well aware of this,” Lopez said. “If he’s our organizer every single year, he should’ve given this document a long time ago.”