Moscow has appealed decision on NSA offices

The city of Moscow has appealed a decision to allow New Saint Andrews College to move the college’s administrative offices into a downtown building.

The Moscow City Council will discuss the appeal today during its meeting, which starts at 7 p.m. in City Hall.

New Saint Andrews (NSA) began renting the 414 S. Main Street space from building owner Rootforest LLC in February.

That space was used as an art gallery for 40 years. It previously belonged to the University of Idaho Prichard Art Gallery until 2021. Then Moscow Contemporary ran an art gallery there before its lease was terminated in January.

NSA is housing a community art gallery and retail space in that building. Additionally it plans to move the college’s administrative offices into the upper floor of the space.

NSA’s operations are limited by a Moscow ordinance passed in 2019, which prohibits colleges and universities from expanding in the central business zoning district. NSA’s main campus is located at 405 S. Main Street, across the street from the gallery.

Building owner Brenda von Wandruszka and NSA President Benjamin Merkle appealed the city’s determination that administrative offices would not be permissible under the Moscow ordinance.

The Moscow Board of Adjustment held a meeting June 11 to discuss the issue, and heard arguments from Von Wandruszka and NSA President Benjamin Merkle.

The Board of Adjustment struggled to determine whether the use of these offices violates the intent of the 2019 ordinance, and ultimately sided with NSA.

The board hoped its decision would compel the city and the Moscow City Council to further clarify the rules prohibiting the expansion of colleges downtown.

The city filed an appeal of the Board of Adjustment’s decision June 27.

The board’s decision was “both unsupported by substantial evidence in the written record and was arbitrary,” Moscow Deputy City Supervisor Cody Riddle wrote in his appeal.

Riddle argued that the board did not cite specific evidence, information in the record or any ordinance provisions that justified their decision.

“The board arbitrarily found the proposed NSA administrative offices on the second floor of the building do not constitute an expansion of the college,” Riddle wrote.

In June, Merkle argued that NSA is not trying to add students or classrooms to its campus. He said NSA is trying to move its offices from the nearby Nuart Theater to the 414 S. Main Street space.

City staff and the Moscow Board of Adjustment agreed NSA’s art gallery and retail space do not violate the Moscow ordinance because they are not integral to the college and will not be used by students to earn course credits.

New Saint Andrews describes itself as a private classical Christian college. Controversial Christ Church Pastor Doug Wilson is an NSA trustee and senior fellow of theology.

Kuipers can be reached akuipers@dnews.com.