Back in their own house

Jose Paul Corona

Congregants of Praise Christian Church have finally been given

permission by the Planning Commission to return to the sanctuary they

were booted out of last December, but Pastor Derek Annunciation still

isn’t happy with the final outcome.

“They’re just discriminating against the church,” Annunciation

said of the commission.

It is a familiar refrain, to those who have followed the church’s

struggles.

The Planning Commission issued the church a conditional use permit

last week that will allow parishioners to meet at the building at

Goldenwest Street and Ellis Avenue again, but only if they meet

certain conditions.

The commission is requiring that several improvements be made to

the building and that the church be soundproofed. It must also close

its south doors and windows to control noise, said Associate City

Planner Paul De Veiga.

The stipulations were made because the building is old and was

designed as a warehouse, not as a church, De Veiga said, adding that

making the building soundproof isn’t a difficult process.

“It could be as easy as putting in insulation and drywall,” he

said.

Church leaders have been fighting with city officials since late

December when they were told that they could not meet in the church

because it did not meet safety codes. They’ve been holding their

Sunday services outside of the building.

Annunciation says that the building is not unsafe, and insists it

meets the requirements of the uniform building code.

“If safety is their primary concern, then the building is safe,”

he said.

Annunciation says the church is being singled out and that a

nearby school has not had to go through the same process.

“It’s just an unequal playing field,” he said, adding that the

church would file an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision

with the City Council.