A church preschool in Walker Township may place an addition onto its existing building.

That's after the township's zoning hearing board on Wednesday granted the Zion Church, 489 Valley Road, Tamaqua, a special exception request and a variance request for the church preschool to allow for the add-on.However, the zoners placed several conditions on their approval of the variance and special exception requests, according to Dave Horst, of Alfred Benesch, the township's engineering firm.Horst said those conditions are that they had to obtain all necessary permits, such as zoning, building and sewage permits as needed, that they were to replace any parking that would have been removed as part of the expansion, and they must also address any additional runoff that would be created by any additional impervious area.He said the church had to apply for a special exception because they are considered an existing nonconforming use in their zoning district, and any expansion of an existing nonconforming use requires an approval by the board as a special exception.Also, Horst said they are expanding the preschool, which is an accessory use to the church itself, that's an existing nonconforming accessory use, so any expansion requires a zoning hearing board meeting for a special exception approval.The expansion is greater than 25 percent of the area, so that also required a variance, he said.