Bishop Barry Elliott of Tabernacle of Praise Church is also connected with the non-profit My Happy Place. And My Happy Place had approached the church at 610 Robinson in Danville about renting space there so a bus service could be offered to help people get to their jobs, especially second and third shift jobs. The next step was to get the church’s zoning changed from R-2, single family residential; to B-3, general commercial. And at Thursday (Nov 2nd) evening’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. the commission voted to recommend the zoning change to the Danville City Council.
Church member Latasha Elliott says this is a matter of meeting a major need; and they have a plan to do so.
AUDIO: We would connect with local agencies that have people that they would like to see employed, and then we will work with employers who are hiring, to kind of connect those dots, of course. Because nine times out of ten the missing link is that they don’t have transportation.
(1st Picture) Bishop Barry Elliott reads proposal while Latasha Elliott and Danville Community Development Administrator Logan Cronk look on. (3rd Picture) Danville Planning and Zoning Commission listens to proposal.
All rides would be by appointment, booked over the phone or online. Latasha says the hope is to start with a single bus purchased by grant money and a few initial drivers, and get going during the first or second quarter of 2024.
Bishop Barry Elliot says the greatest asset here would be giving employees consistent transportation, helping build a solid routine of getting to and from work.
AUDIO: They can depend on it; you know, they’ll know exactly when the bus is going to go, and where. Then when they have a job, they’ll be able to get there on time.
Danville Community Development Administrator Logan Cronk says zoning changes like this are common. You keep an existing zoning area contingent, by briefly extending it in a certain direction.
AUDIO: Current zoning of B3 runs pretty parallel with North Gilbert Street. Essentially, what the request was tonight, was to jog the zoning district out one property to the west, and then back to the east.
The zoning change proposal will come before the full Danville City Council at their November 21st meeting.
