Today's Newsday Editorial

Fix anti-church law
Brookhaven erred in passing it

A complex body of law focuses on the knotty question of protecting churches from entanglement with local governments. But the issue for a public hearing tonight at Brookhaven's town hall is clear: The town should amend an ill-conceived statute that it adopted in September, restricting churches in a way that will never pass muster in court.

The new statute prohibits structures of more than 15,000 square feet in residential areas. That restraint is too high to curb the spread of McMansion-sized homes, but it would certainly stand in the way of Grace Church, a nondenominational congregation that has worshiped in various rented venues since it began in October 1998.

To end its nomad days and build a home of its own, the church bought a former nursery in Medford and proposes to build a 28,000-foot structure. That sounds big for a residential neighborhood, but the church has been more than reasonable in shaping its plans so that this building won't look too out of place in the community.

The statute should have exempted churches from its provisions, as similar laws do elsewhere. The town board should pass a proposed amendment to rectify that omission.