Palomar Upset by Costa Mesa Church’s Plans : Development: A proposal by Calvary Chapel to build a retreat in a mountaintop valley resurfaces after having once met with almost unanimous opposition from area residents.

SAN DIEGO —  Palomar Mountain folks live on the mountain to get away from the hustle and bustle down below, and they don’t take too kindly to anyone who threatens to bring the world to their doorstep.

So a proposal by Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa to build a large church retreat and recreational facility in a mountaintop valley met with almost unanimous opposition when it was first proposed in 1985.

For a time, the project was dormant. Now, however, the church group says the proposal is very much alive, catching mountain residents by surprise.

About a dozen Palomar Mountain residents showed up Thursday for what was expected to be the burial of the church’s plans by the county Planning and Environmental Review Board.

Instead, residents learned that the church’s developers, Pacific Developments, had recently submitted several hundred pages of environmental and technical reports, which had been requested by the county planners more than 2 1/2 years ago.

The board, the county’s technical review group composed of county administrators, continued the matter until May 10, to give the county county planning staff time to review the new material.

Carol Popet, county project manager, said that, since the developer had not responded to an October, 1987, request for more environmental information, the planning staff had recommended that the project be denied.

But, after notice of the proposed action had been sent out, the additional material was received, she said.

Michael Needham, president of Pacific Developments, said the new material proposes “some minor revisions” to the church’s plans to develop its 560-acre mountaintop valley into a hideaway for church members and their families, a place to “get away from it all.”

“I can sympathize with the neighbors.” Needham said, “If I were living next door to that beautiful, pristine valley, I might begin to consider it my valley and my view, even though I didn’t pay taxes and principal and interest on it.

“But I think my clients have been very patient and understanding. This project is designed to be most environmentally sensitive. The entire project has gone through years of intensive work. Thousands of hours of work have gone into this plan, and I think it is far superior to what it was in the beginning.”

Judy Ellerby, whose home sits on the rim of the proposed church resort site, says “you can hear a cow mooing 3 miles away,” and asks, “What will it be like when a thousand people are bused into that valley each day?”

“It would be constant noise pollution. That’s our major objection,” Ellerby said, answering her own question.

The Calvary Chapel retreat would include about 30 buildings, including separate cabins, dormitories and dining halls for adults, teen-agers and younger children. Also planned are two swimming pools, three athletic fields, two basketball-tennis courts, a 10-acre man-made lake, a small observatory and parking for more than 400 cars.

Opponents at earlier public hearings criticized the church project as not in keeping with the rustic quality of Palomar Mountain. One critic described the proposed development as more like a “Club Med.”

“We want the same thing that the residents do,” Needham said. “We think that this pristine valley is a perfect place to get away from it all. The very reason that the church bought this property was because of its serene pastoral qualities. People don’t want to get away to just another parking lot.”