11 October 2023
DULUTH A day care has returned to the mix at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship Church, 1533 Arrowhead Road.
The YMCA previously offered child care out of the lower level of the church but ceased operations there about six years ago. Now, a new care provider, Building Blocks Learning Center, has taken its place, moving into its new digs in September, said Megan DellaRossa, human resources and business manager for the church.
The day care had been operating under a temporary interim permit, but on Tuesday, the Duluth Planning Commission approved a special use permit, clearing the way for Building Blocks to maintain a long-term presence in the 25,000-square-foot church.
The day care has a 72-child capacity, but could potentially grow by another 10 spots with future building modifications. Building Blocks employs 16 full-time and 14 part-time workers.
The Vineyard has recently changed church leadership, as a former pastoral assistant, Jackson Michael Gatlin, has been charged with several counts of criminal sexual conduct involving teens. His parents, Michael and Brenda Gatlin, who were senior pastors, have also left the church amid allegations of covering up their son’s actions.
DellaRossa said the case was not a factor in the decision to welcome a day care into the church.
“We had already gotten the Gatlins off of the property, and they were not allowed on the property at all when these decisions were being made. So, we felt that it was a safe environment,” she said.
DellaRossa said Luke and Holly Petrich, the owners of Building Blocks, approached the Vineyard in the spring, and church leadership agreed to welcome the day care into its building. Building Blocks was previously located at 4402 Haines Road.
“We want to support their mission, offering child care to our community,” DellaRossa said. “So far everything is going really well. We’re working well together, and it’s kind of nice to utilize that space a little more.”
The learning center operates from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and city staff initially proposed to include those hours in the special use permit for the facility.
But planning commission member Brian Hammond suggested the permit shouldn’t be as restrictive.
“The planning commission shouldn’t be restricting the hours of operation unless there’s some concern about the impact on surrounding uses,” he said, suggesting the facility should be free to offer extended hours if it chooses to assist parents who may not work a consistent daytime schedule.
Fellow planning commission member Gary Eckenberg concurred.
“I guess I’m thinking that the greatest need for day care, especially among our low-income population, is to be able to have it at hours when most day cares don’t operate,” he said.
Commission member Andrea Wedul recommended members proceed with caution, considering the precedent it could set in an area zoned for residential use.
“I hear what you say. But at the same time, I think we have to consider that this is a residential area, and this is not a typical use within a residential zoning,” she said, expressing concern about the precedent it could set.
Hammond noted that the Vineyard is located on a large site, well-removed from its neighbors. “If there was ever a location for a church basement to be running a second-shift day care and not be bothering anyone, this particular church would probably be the place to do it,” he said.
But Hammond agreed that offering extended hours was hypothetical and had not been requested by the day care operators.
Ultimately, the commission approved a permit for the facility to operate between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m., a longer window of time than originally requested.
Adam Fulton, deputy director of Duluth’s planning and economic development division, said the day care’s representative could certainly return to the planning commission to seek extended hours at a future date if they wish to do so.
There will be little external evidence of the Vineyard’s new tenant. However, a future playground has been proposed on the northwest side of the church.
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