WESTMINSTER : City Rejects Revised Plan for Church

About 200 members of Calvary Chapel Seal Beach filled council chambers Tuesday night, hoping to persuade council members to approve a revised plan for a permanent church site on Westminster Boulevard.

But the council rejected the proposal by a 3-2 vote after more than 2 1/2 hours of testimony from churchgoers and some residents who live near the proposed site. Council members cited the same concerns over parking and future development that they expressed when church representatives first approached them more than two months ago.

“I don’t believe it’s good planning to live with inadequate parking,” said Councilwoman Charmayne S. Bohman, who voted against the proposal along with council members Tony Lam and Craig Schweisinger. “And any sales tax you would be generating is highly hypothetical,” she added, referring to chapel supporters’ argument that the church would increase business in surrounding commercial neighborhoods.

Developers and former council members Anita Huseth and Allen Pace also came to voice their support for the church, which has been meeting at McGaugh Elementary School in Seal Beach for the past 12 years. The church has been searching for a permanent home for the last four years.

Supporters said the 800-member church, which has extensive outreach programs, could lower drug use and crime by bringing “morality” into the area, as well as increase business in the city. Some residents also said that the two vacant buildings on the proposed site are run-down and an eyesore and that a church would beautify the area.

“Churches generally fight the criminal element,” said Councilman Frank Fry Jr., who voted for the chapel proposal. “We might lose some taxes, but if we change one or two lives a year, what’s that worth?”

But other residents and council members argued that if the church grew, parking would become a problem because the three-acre site only provides 235 spaces. They also said that the city needs tax dollars and that the buildings on Westminster Boulevard, which fall in the city’s redevelopment area, should remain commercial.

“I’ve never taken so much aspirin in my life as I did tonight,” said Lam as he voiced his intention to deny the permit for the church. “I’ve never seen such big support in trying to influence a decision. But I must vote with my conscience, and those buildings should be converted into something that generates revenue for the city.”

The council on Dec. 8 initially denied the church a permit to convert the buildings into a sanctuary, fellowship hall, classrooms, offices, a bookstore and a broadcasting studio. However, it later said chapel representatives could come up with a revised plan for that property or for a different location.

Calvary Chapel’s revised plan included less sanctuary space, an agreement to hold multiple services, and an offer to pay the city $2,200 in property tax, even though it would be tax-exempt.

The Planning Commission had unanimously approved both plans.

Gasps and groans could be heard from the large audience when the council finally voted down the permit.

“I’m disappointed,” church pastor Ron Wilkins said. “I feel they were more concerned about money than for the welfare of the people in the city. It’s their loss. We’ll continue looking, but not in Westminster.”