Economic development and private property rights are clashing in a plan for a new church building on land the town thinks is better suited for industry.

At its last meeting in June, the Gofftsown Board of Selectmen voted to ask the Zoning Board to reconsider its decision earlier that month to grant a variance to Goffstown Harvest Christian Church, allowing it to move forward with plans for a church building at the corner of Saint Anselm Drive and Route 114. Chairman Nick Campasano was the sole dissenter.

“The basis for that (vote) was the fact that we don’t have many parcels in our town that are dedicated to industrial and commercial use,” said Selectman Scott Gross, who was with the majority. “We need to be very judicious in how these lands are used because these lands generate taxable income.”

But Joe Johnsick, the pastor of the church, said its alms ministry alone gave back $80,000 in cash, food and other donations to the community last year, more than what would be generated in tax revenue from an industrial company or other business.

“For them to be concerned about the relative small amount of taxes compared to what we do for the community, in my opinion, is very short-sighted,” Johnsick said.

Gross maintains the Board of Selectmen has an obligation to enforce local ordinances, especially ones so strongly supported by the public. Goffstown Harvest Christian Church needed the variance to allow a church in an industrial zone. The ordinance barring them in the zone was approved by twothirds of voters at the last town election.

Johnsick also points out the land has remained vacant for 20 years or more. During the Zoning Board meeting in June, at least one member appeared to agree with the pastor, saying the land might not be that ideal for industrial development, since only half of it can be covered by a building footprint.

Cathy Whooten, among the dissenting side of the 3-2 Zoning Board vote, said the land could be combined with surrounding properties as part of a significant industrial development. But Chairman Wayne Richardson said that did not explain why the church-owned property had remained vacant for so many years.

“There is nothing in the economic conditions that says someone is going to develop this,” Richardson said. “For an industrial use, it’s not a good lot.”

The church submitted its site plan to the town well before Two years ago, all the church needed was a special exception, which the Zoning Board granted. It was only after getting that exception that the church bought the 5- acre property in April 2006 for $495,000, according to town records.

In September 2007, the Planning Board accepted the application, but the following month, board members rescinded their acceptance, after finding that the plan before them was different than the one the Zoning Board had when it favored the special exception.

The latest plan is for a 479- person sanctuary, a multi-purpose amphitheater.

The sanctuary would be built first, according to Johnsick. The church now meets in a 230-seat sanctuary it rents in a shopping center across from the Shaw’s supermarket plaza on Mast Road.

The Zoning Board meets either later this month or early in August to discuss whether it will reconsider its decision on the variance, according to Derek Horne, the zoning code enforcement officer.

If the Zoning Board overturns its decision, Johnsick said there were other options for continuing to fight. He is confident the church will prevail.

“I do want to make it clear that we do have legal rights, and we’re going to press those rights,” Johnsick said. “There’s precedent as far as this situation.

We’ll do everything that we need to do to see this come out the way we want to see it. I just hate that it’s come to this place. I’ve never been a crusading Christian. I’ve never been someone that wanted, you know, other people to go out and picket.”

Gross said he understands the need for the church to expand, but he thinks there may be more appropriate places to do so. He added conflicts between private property rights and the public good occur all the time in the country, and landowners simply cannot do whatever they want with their property.

“The reality is that there are laws to protect all people,” Gross said.

Johnsick thinks selectmen are overlooking a number of important facts.

“Wait a minute, I own the property,” Johnsick said. “It’s mine. Why are you talking about bringing all this stuff in when I own the property. It’s mine to do with what I want, right?”