St. John Monastery Construction Plan Receives Conditional Approval
Following a Public Hearing on Monday, May 10, the Plan Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit, including Site and Operational Plans, to construct an approximately 45,000 square building at 4600 93rd Street. Mother Melanie Makrigiannis, agent for St. John Chrysostomos Monastery, made the request. The new two-story facility will have a full basement and space for additional sleeping quarters, workshops, and storage.
"I am glad to see the long-term vision of the 1988 Master Plan for the St. John Monastery move forward," said Jean Werbie-Harris, Community Development Director. "This professional design will use quality materials to maintain the surrounding natural environment and blend new construction with architecture that matches the other structures on the property."
St. John Monastery has selected a non-wooded area for the development to help preserve the property's natural environment. Plans will construct the new building north of the main Monastery, about 600 feet from the north property line, 400 feet from the east, and 850 feet from the west property line. The first floor will contain workshop areas for religious iconography, sewing, embroidery, decorative items, seasonal artwork, vestment making, Byzantine music lessons, and Byzantine art lessons. Plans for the second floor include 26 sleeping rooms. Currently, the property buildings have 26 sleeping rooms for visitors and 18 sleeping rooms for nuns. After the project's completion, the anticipation is to have 23 nuns living on the property. The building design also includes basement storage areas that will house seasonal and workshop items.
Construction crews will construct a driveway that connects the new development to the existing north and south gravel driveways, maintaining fire access to the support buildings and central portion of the site. In addition, the water main will be extended within the property to service the new building. The development plans also feature a future 11,693 square foot kitchen and dining hall for an existing support building; however, detailed plans need to be submitted for Plan Commission approval before the kitchen and dining hall additions can move forward.
