The agreement between the city and Kempsville Presbyterian Church leaders paves the way for an ambitious development plan for an old farm the church bought for $7.4 million near the city Municipal Center.

With a few key tweaks of city planning lingo, the City Council approved a compromise on a long-term growth plan that will guide how a church develops 519 acres in a rural part of the city.

The agreement between the city and Kempsville Presbyterian Church leaders paves the way for an ambitious development plan for an old farm the church bought for $7.4 million near the city Municipal Center.

The plan calls for a campus of ministries and a large new church on 70 acres, together called “The City of Hope.” The rest of the land, commonly known as the old Brown Farm, would be sold off for the development of medical, office, institutional and retail projects.

City planners had said that half the land should remain undeveloped as open space and that the total project should be capped at 2 million square feet. Church leaders objected, hired a lawyer and lobbied City Council members to change those requirements.

The compromise: Planning guidelines were softened to say the church should “strive to achieve” open space on half the land. The square footage policy remained but a caveat was added that more development might be allowed if road improvements are made. Nearby semi-rural roads are often crowded.

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