Source: New York Daily News

http://www.nydailynews.com/2001-01-10/News_and_Views/City_Beat/a-95252.asp

On January 10, 2001, the New York Daily News reported that "Community Board 7 shot down [The Full Gospel N.Y. Church's] request for approval of a plan to expand, but the city will have the final say." The Church wants to expand to hold up to 1,500 worshippers and construct a large gym, but "citing traffic and other concerns, Board 7 overwhelmingly said no." Their report said that "'within the last few years, this area has boomed with the addition of a Toys 'R' Us and a multiplex theater. It is for this reason that the increase of the congregation [and] expansion of the proposed alteration will add additional vehicle congestion to the area." The group began holding services in their current location in the early 1990s, despite strict codes against such use; a few years ago the church obtained a variance to legalize their use of the building. The city Board of Standards and Appeals will consider the committee's report but has the right to a final decision. Janice Calahane, lawyer for Full Gospel, is optimistic "because this is a church, and there's a constitutional right to freedom of worship...and that includes having a place to worship."