Buddhists Try Again for Temple

A year after the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors decided that a Buddhist group could not build a meditation center on its La Puente-area property, the group is planning to return to the board with a more ambitious proposal.

Last year, the board rejected a proposal by leaders of the Natural Buddhist Meditation Center to create a lush garden with streams and waterfalls that would spread over most of the five-acre site at 14036 Don Julian Road, in an unincorporated area near La Puente.

The Thai group had envisioned the garden as a place where visitors could meditate, pray and offer food to three monks who live on the premises, a Buddhist custom.

Neighborhood residents angrily opposed the plan, saying existing problems would only worsen. In the past, residents have complained about food odors from outdoor kitchens, early morning prayers and music blasting over loudspeakers and visitors blocking traffic by parking on both sides of the street.

Now, in addition to the garden, the Thai group has disclosed plans to build a temple that would hold as many as 100 people and possibly be two stories high. The group expects to submit blueprints to the county in September.

‘Here We Go Again’

“Here we go again,” said Glenn Brown, 36, upon hearing of the new plan.

Brown, whose property overlooks the Buddhist center from the south, was among the group’s most vocal opponents last year.

“Admittedly, they’ve cut down on outdoor kitchen activities and curtailed the big events, but if they develop further, we’ll be back to doing the same thing again,” he said.

The Natural Buddhist Meditation Center is one of three Thai Buddhist centers in Los Angeles County. The other two are in Hollywood and Ontario.

Because the property is zoned for light agricultural and residential uses, a conditional-use permit is required for religious activities.

After presenting their plan to the Board of Supervisors last year, congregation members agreed to cut down their activities and move Sunday services--their busiest event--to a nearby elementary school. But the board denied them permission to continue operating the religious center.

The center’s mid-block location in a residential area made it inappropriate for daily religious activities, the board decided then. Neighbors had circulated petitions complaining of problems during the two years the center operated without the required permit.

But Kun-Ying Chutapa Varavarn, one of the center’s founders, said religious and racial prejudice were the main reasons the board did not allow the Buddhists to operate the center.

“They were afraid we were going to bring a lot of Orientals in,” she said. “We try to be good neighbors, but if people don’t like you, you can’t do anything about it.”

Mark Volmert, an aide to Supervisor Pete Schabarum, who represents the area, said the board’s decision had nothing to do with prejudice.

“We’ve had an awful lot of religious groups apply to build new facilities or modify facilities in Supervisor Schabarum’s district he said.