Sunset Beach’s only church seeks new home

Calvary Chapel of the Harbour, the only church in Sunset Beach, is seeking a conditional use permit to leave its cramped quarters and move to a nearby shopping center.

The church, which has operated since 2003 out of the Sunset Beach Women’s Club, has asked the Huntington Beach Planning Commission for permission to move into the space vacated by the Red Onion restaurant in Peter’s Landing Marina at 16400 Pacific Coast Hwy. The property is currently identified as a commercial visitor zone, and the church needs a permit to operate a religious assembly on the premises.

The commission is scheduled to review the application Tuesday.

Kathleen Pedick, the wife of Pastor Joe Pedick, said the congregation has gotten too large for the Women’s Club, which has an overflow crowd spilling out the front door on a typical Sunday.

“We’ve outgrown the facility,” she said. “The Lord’s been blessing it.”

According to Joe Pedick, some of the perks of moving into Peter’s Landing would be a larger facility, more parking spaces and relationships with local tenants whom the church could provide with customers.

“There’s not a lot of traffic in there,” Joe Pedick said. “The restaurants are very excited we’re going to bring some people there [if the church moves in].”

The commission will have an informational meeting on the application Tuesday, with a public hearing to come Dec. 8. Associate Planner Tess Nguyen said staff has recommended that the commission approve the permit.