CHATSWORTH : Expansion Approved for Christian Center

After more than two decades of holding services in a temporary building and Sunday school in mobile homes, the West Valley Christian Center on Friday won approval to construct a new, 392-seat sanctuary, complete with pews and steeple, on the edge of Chatsworth Reservoir.

“They want a church that looks like a church, not just an office building,” said Pauline Amond, land-use consultant for the church.

William Lillenberg, associate city zoning administrator, gave tentative approval to the church’s proposed three-phase expansion at a hearing in Van Nuys.

Ground-breaking on the 28,445-square-foot sanctuary may occur later this year, Amond said.

Construction of a proposed education and multipurpose building and the addition of 260 seats to the sanctuary may take several more years, depending on how quickly the church can finance the projects, she said.

The case was notably free of the contentiousness that often characterizes church-expansion cases. No one spoke in opposition to the project, and Lillenberg praised the plans for the project, noting how well it fit the natural contours of the site at 22001 Nordhoff St. He imposed a few conditions, including one that requires that a large oak tree on the site be preserved.

About 20 members of the congregation turned out to watch the proceedings. Pastor Steven Towner said the church needed the extra space for youth groups and Sunday school activities, but said there were no plans to operate a school or bingo on the site.

“Our church acquired this property in the late ‘60s,” Towner said. “It’s been our desire for all those years to build on this site.”