(Photo: Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church)
Christian Post Report – In this file photo, thousands attend a Sunday worship service at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
A county government in Florida has approved a land use permit submitted by the megachurch Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, which was formerly led by Billy Graham’s grandson Tullian Tchividjian, to build over 500 apartments on its property.
Broward County Commission voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve Item No. 64 on their agenda, which was submitted by Coral Ridge.
Kristin Carter, spokesperson for Broward County, told The Christian Post on Thursday that “the property owner requested approval to build 425 garden apartments and 175 mid-rise units on the northern 23 acres of the parcel, which is a total of just under 52 acres.”
Earlier this week local media reported that Coral Ridge Presbyterian was planning to develop a portion of land they owned in Lauderdale Lakes.
Coral Ridge’s Lauderdale Lakes property is presently vacant, the South Florida Business Journal reported on Monday. “Leigh Robinson Kerr & Associate is the planning firm on the application. It’s not clear who the church intends to sell the land to for development.”
News of the commission’s vote comes as Coral Ridge Presbyterian recovers from a sex scandal surrounding its former senior pastor, Tullian Tchividjian.
A grandson of the Rev. Billy Graham, Tchividjian admitted to having an extramarital affair after discovering that his wife had cheated on him.
“Last week I was approached by our church leaders and they asked me about my own affair. I admitted to it and it was decided that the best course of action would be for me to resign,” said Tchividjian in a statement.
Source : Christian Post