October 6, 2026

By Mary Beth Gahan

Valley Creek College will adhere to town standards for illuminating its pickleball courts and soccer field for now after the church that oversees it pulled its lighting waiver from consideration before the town council meeting Monday.

The planning and zoning commission recommended denial for the request that would have resulted in light fixtures that are twice as bright as the town allows. Residents from nearby neighborhoods were in opposition.

The broader issue of who is allowed to build an athletic facility near residential areas is still up for debate and the public could have more of a say in the future.

Valley Creek College, which is run by Valley Creek Church, is under construction north of Dixon Lane and west of Morriss Road. The land is zoned for agriculture use, which allows religious and educational institutions and their accessory uses — like athletic fields — by right.

Residents of Waterford Park Estates, to the west of Eastglen Drive, met with Valley Creek Church leaders in May to express concern about the sound that could filter to their backyards when players are on the turf soccer field and six pickleball courts. The church amended plans and included a sound-mitigating barrier along the fence.

Then, in September, the church submitted a request for 10 light fixtures over the courts and soccer field to be more than the town’s maximum 20-foot-candle illumination. The request asked for the light under the fixtures to range from 23.2 to 42.6 foot candles.

Residents showed up at the Sept. 28 planning and zoning commission meeting and the commission recommended denial of the waiver.

Valley Creek Church withdrew the application before the Monday’s town council meeting. The church plans to install lights that are in line with town code and will see if it’s sufficient for players after dark, said Mayor Pro Tem Adam Schiestel.

The lights will be similar to parking lot lights, which are 15 foot candles, said Lexin Murphy, the town’s director of development services.

Schiestel told neighbors that there would be “some benefit to reopening that dialogue” regarding the waiver because it would allow the town council to put stipulations on something that they currently have no control over.

“My advice to residents is maybe play ball on the lighting waiver and then we'd have a mechanism to say, ‘Ok, hours of operation, who's allowed.’ We can get those promises written. Then the town has an ability to actually enforce those standards.”

The church has said only Valley Creek College students, which amount to 65 currently, will be allowed to play on the courts and play will end at 10 p.m.

The church could open the courts and field for congregation members to use without any special permit from the town, Murphy said. If they charged a membership or used the courts for profit, then they would need approval from the town.

Council member Chris Drew said he’d like to look at requiring a special use permit for athletic facilities. A work session will be scheduled to discuss that prospect, Town Manager James Childers told the council.

A special use permit would require approval from the planning and zoning commission as well as the town council. It would include a public hearing, during which residents could express their support or opposition.