The county did so in the traffic-jammed area east of Seattle near the Sammamish Plateau in order to limit developments like the huge Costco outlet that sits adjacent to Costco Wholesale Inc.'s headquarters off Interstate 90 in Issaquah. The problem is that the rule must apply to all rural commercial developments, even churches.

Hundreds of churchgoers, pastors, neighbors and builders jammed the Metropolitan King County Council's public hearing on Monday, voicing their opinions on the moratorium for new churches and schools in rural areas. "This thing has gone a little too far"' says Ron McKenna, an Eastside pastor.

King County executive Ron Sims originally proposed a limit of 10,000 sf on any single church or private school building. He then relaxed his maximums to 20,000 sf for a single building and 40,000 sf on larger lots. Sims' numbers were in response to an 80,000-sf church permit submitted five years ago. Residents protested and a 48,500 sf church was approved.Now, however, large groups are seeking variances and exclusions from the rule, including the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle.

Archbishop Alexander Brunett has written in newspaper editorials that he intends to take the case all the way to the United States Supreme Court. Brunett says the archdiocese needs to serve its members with larger structures.

Tim Trohimovich, a member of 1000 Friends of Washington, a supporter of the limits, says his group is not opposed to churches in rural areas. "We're concerned about something that's out of scale, that's built to serve a broader population," he says.