Unitarian Church Responds Mayor's Statements on Lawsuit

For the last three years the city of Wayzata has been locked in litigation with the Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka, which is suing the city over its refusal to rezone a taxable residential property for church use.

Patch posted a statement last week by Wayzata Mayor Ken Willcox regarding the lawsuit. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Minnetonka has responded to the mayor's remarks.

The statement, issued by spokesperson Alison Albrecht, is below:

The mayor’s statement is disappointing as well as inaccurate. Since the Wayzata City Council rejected Universalist Unitarian Church of Minnetonka's (UUCM) application to build a new church in 2008 we have attempted to reach a compromise with the city.

Throughout our lawsuit we have always been willing to negotiate a reasonable compromise, but none has yet been possible. The church, however, has, and will, keep these discussions confidential as is appropriate and required under the court’s rules.

UUCM filed its lawsuit to protect our constitutional right to worship. There are currently no locations in Wayzata where any new church could be built. We believe the outcome of this case is important, not just for UUCM, but for any group seeking to build a new place of worship in Wayzata or anywhere in Minnesota.