Steve Lukac is not sure how big the church will be or how it will be laid out, but at least it looks like he will not have to satisfy costly landscaping requirements.

"I'm very pleased with it," Lukac said of Hermitage commissioners introducing an ordinance Monday that would remove property at the southeast corner of Morefield and South Hermitage roads from an overlay zoning district.

St. John the Baptist Carpo-Russian Greek Orthodox Church wants to build a new church in Hermitage on the site of its cemetery. Being in the overlay zone would require the church to build more than 1,000 feet of sidewalk, plus curbing and plant vegetation.

Lukac, president of the church's board, told Hermitage Zoning Hearing Board in April that the cost of building the sidewalk would be "exorbitant" for a church that is losing members and planning to put up the new church with donated time and money.

The church's building at 725 Cedar Ave., Sharon, is in a declining neighborhood, Lukac told the zoning board. The 1938 building does not have air conditioning and is difficult to heat.

It also is across the street from its educational center and membership has fallen to about 200 families.

Without the overlay, the site would be left in a residential zone, where churches are permitted as long as they meet factors such as lot size and parking requirements.

The ordinance was referred to the Hermitage Planning Commission, and commissioners will hold a public hearing on it and take a final vote later.

If the ordinance is approved as it is, Lukac, who has paid for the initial planning of building a new church, would have to submit a land development plan to the city.

Lukac said he hopes to build the parking lot this year and break ground for the church in the spring.