Church congregation stops horse stable proposal in its tracks

SAVANNAH - Tourists may love the horse-drawn carriages that clop down Savannah&#39;s cobbled streets, but members of the First Union Missionary Baptist Church didn&#39;t want a stable built next to its property. <br> <br> Two weeks ago, the congregation learned a carriage tour company had been planning the project for months. <br> <br> A church member told the Rev. Peter Broxton, pastor of the church for 40 years, that a company planned to renovate an empty building within a few feet of their sanctuary and board eight horses there. <br> <br> On Thursday, the church convinced the entire Savannah City Council to deny the project. <br> <br> Horses would breed flies that could get into the food bank they run next door, said Dessie Bacon, chair of the church&#39;s board of trustees. <br> <br> Broxton said the stable would demean a neighborhood the city has been trying hard to revitalize. They also criticized the Chatham-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission for failing to notify them of the proposal. <br> <br> ``We did not get a letter from anyone talking about bringing in a horse stable,&#39;&#39; Broxton told the council. <br> <br> That was a mistake, said Dennis Hutton, the MPC&#39;s development services planner. Until recently, the planning commission was in charge of ``use approval&#39;&#39; issues. But a recent state law requires elected bodies to sign off on proposed uses not specifically listed in the zoning ordinance. <br> <br> The commission approved the stable project April 16. But because it was continuing on to council, Hutton said he assumed the city would notify adjacent property owners of the pending proposal. <br> <br> ``I assure you that it was not intentional,&#39;&#39; Hutton said. <br> <br> City Manager Michael Brown, who sits on the planning commission, voted in favor of the stable last month. He told council he did so assuming contact had been made with neighbors. <br> <br> Carriage Tours of Savannah owners, Richard and Alicia Edwards, will have to keep looking for a place to move their horses. For now, the horses stay in a stable off West Bay Street, but due to traffic they are transported there and back on trucks. <br> <br> The couple&#39;s attorney, Dolly Chisholm, said they wanted to do what was best for the neighborhood and weren&#39;t aware of the communication problems. They arranged a meeting with the church this week, but no one came, she said. <br> <br> ``We understand people&#39;s concerns, but it&#39;s a clean place,&#39;&#39; Chisholm said. <br> <br> Carriage Tours is one of three companies that offer horse-drawn tours of historic Savannah.