LaGRANGE – If you are the type who needs to say a prayer before boarding a plane, there may soon be a better location to do so thanks to the approval of a special use permit for a church to be built near the LaGrange-Callaway Airport.

The Troup County Board of Commissioners approved a special use permit for a church to be built on Pegasus Parkway near the airport at its regular meeting on Tuesday. The sale of the land where the church is planned was pending, but because of the county’s approval, the church should be able to move forward on the purchase of the land.

The 5.9-acre property was a vacant wooded parcel in what the county expects will become an urban area, according to its future land use map.

The church will be required to submit any building plans to the Federal Aviation Administration as well as the zoning board in order to make sure aircraft that may pass over the structure will have plenty of clearance. At a previous meeting, some commissioners showed concern for steeple height, but they were relieved to hear that shouldn’t be an issue in this case.

“(God’s Open Door Church) only has intentions of putting up a cross, instead of a steeple, and said that this building would be approximately 30 by 60 (feet) with a basement and a small cross on the front of the building, so it would not conflict with any aerial problems coming in right there,” said Lamar McKeen, the realtor representing the family selling the property.

The church will also require approval from the Callaway Foundation on plans, according to McKeen.

Rezoning on three parcels of land – 3140 West Point Road, 3152 West Point Road and 3099 Roanoke Road – from residential to commercial were also approved at the meeting. All three parcels had previously been used for commercial purposes, so the rezoning was largely to clean up the zoning classifications at those locations.

The Troup County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet again on Jan. 17 at 9 a.m. at 100 Ridley Ave.

Reach Alicia B. Hill at alicia.hill@lagrangenews.com or at 706-884-7311, Ext. 2154.