Planners, residents talk church

Deirdre Newman

The devil remains in the details.

St. Andrew’s Church officials and opponents to the church’s

proposed $20-million expansion continued Thursday to discuss

conditions the church would have to abide by if the project is

approved.

Both sides meticulously combed over the 23 proposed operating

conditions at Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting. Those terms had

been revised by planning staff members since they were negotiated at

the Nov. 18 Planning Commission meeting.

But as of around 9:30 p.m., the terms were being rehashed, and the

seven-member commission had not decided whether to recommend a

resolution to change the city’s general plan -- enabling the

expansion -- to the City Council. The majority of planning

commissioners said they felt comfortable with the church’s expansion

plans at the Nov. 18 commission meeting.

For the past two years, church officials have been trying to win

over neighbors -- and the commission -- in their attempt to expand

the church, driven by the desire for a youth and family center on the

campus at 600 St. Andrews Road. The 22,000 square feet of growth is

needed, proponents say, to accommodate an influx of young families in

the surrounding area and to bolster the church’s ministry.

Opposition to the expansion has persisted, because many neighbors

are frustrated by the large volume of traffic and lack of parking

caused by services and activities at the church.

Sticking points on the operating terms continue to be over parking

and occupancy limits. These conditions have been suggested to prevent

more adverse effects on the neighborhood. Some of the recommended

conditions are limiting occupancy on Sunday to 1,800 people and limiting hours of operation for the entire church campus from 7 a.m.

to 10 p.m. daily, except for the youth and family center, which could

stay open until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Opponents to the expansion said going over the conditions again

was a waste of time.

“It’s very simple,” said John Sturgess, a Cliff Haven neighborhood

resident. “It’s a lifestyle, and they are putting us in defense of

our lifestyle. We all moved in here to raise our families, and they

are telling us how we should change our lifestyle.”

Supporters of the expansion said they weren’t sure if all the

attention to the details of the conditions would enhance the project.

“It will take a lot of time to sort that out,” said Patty Healey,

a Costa Mesa resident, church member and former church employee. “I

don’t know if it will help....[The expansion] is very much needed.”

Her husband, Mike Healey, chastised neighbors for not seeing the

expansion’s benefits.

“I think it’s a failure on the part of the neighborhood to realize

this will be an improvement for them, in terms of the noise factor

from the church activities,” he said.

The church’s proposed 22,000-square-foot addition is a 40%

reduction from its original plans. Its growth also includes a parking

facility, with some underground parking, providing 400 spaces.

After both sides and the commissioners discussed all 23 operating

conditions, the church and residents were expected to give their

opinion of the expansion as a whole.

Church officials were expected to give a presentation illustrating

the benefits they believe their expansion will produce. Chief among

them is an agreement with the Newport-Mesa Unified School District

that hasn’t been finalized yet. This agreement would add about 80 to

100 spots to a parking lot at Newport Harbor High School across the

street from the church, paid for by the church.

They also suggest requiring the agreement to be executed before

the church can get any building permits to start construction, if the

expansion is approved.

Another touted benefit is eliminating the Clay Street entrance to

the church, except for emergency access, to discourage church members

from parking along Clay Street and nearby residential streets and to

reduce traffic conflicts with drivers entering and exiting the

proposed parking garage. The church would also put up a 6-foot screen

wall along Clay Street to enhance the aesthetics of the neighborhood.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers government. She may be reached at (714)

966-4623 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.