Immaculate Conception Church officials in Jim Thorpe are one step closer to adding a social hall that would host parish events and educational classes.

The borough’s zoning hearing board gave the church approval for a variance Thursday night, but the design must still go before the planning commission and council before the 5,300-square-foot facility can become a reality.“There are very few parishes without somewhere you can meet that isn’t actually in the church itself,” the Rev. James J. Ward said.“The only place we have right now in our current facility is McGinley Hall. To get to it, you have to go down what I call the ‘16 Holy steps.’ It’s very hard given the age of our population.”Immaculate Conception has about 1,200 members.The social hall would be located to the east of the current church, 180 W. Broadway, in what is now a parking area and the two buildings would connect, architect Ben Walbert said.Only four parking spots would be lost as a result of the construction.“We have around 40 spaces across the street, next to the Foster-Kmetz Woodworking store and about 12 spaces we can use next to the rectory. Right now, we hardly use the parking lot across the street during our regular Masses.”Immaculate Conception Church was constructed between 1906 and 1908. At one time, a social hall was located across the street and the parish also used an old school, but those buildings have since been torn down.According to Walbert, the lot across the street is unbuildable due to the Mauch Chunk Creek running beneath it.Plans call for the new social hall to have meeting rooms, as well as educational classrooms to be used by both adults and children.Visitors would go through a main entrance and be able to turn left to the church or right to the social hall.Ward said he saw the need for a social hall almost immediately after he was appointed pastor in 2008.“I didn’t think it would be a good idea for me to pitch a building project six months after arriving, so I waited for the members to express a desire for the hall,” he said.Walbert said the outside architecture would mirror that of the church.The church itself is just over 7,900 square feet and a variance was required because the social hall would be more than 50 percent of that size.“We also envision that this facility will be available to outside groups at a minimal fee,” Ward said. “I think it will really help the community.”