Planners Approve Church’s Amphitheater Plan

It looks as if the Camarillo Community Church and its neighbors have finally worked out a plan that will enable each to live in peace.

It has taken two public hearings and a special arbitration meeting to convince neighbors that noise will actually decrease from the Camarillo Community Church when it builds a 985-seat outdoor amphitheater.

Although neighbors have vehemently opposed the church’s expansion because of already existing noise and lighting problems, the Camarillo Planning Commission unanimously approved the church’s request Tuesday night to build the $3.5-million project next to the church at Carmen Drive and Las Posas Road. Most of the money will come from donations.

Commissioners made clear during Tuesday’s three-hour public hearing, however, that church members may use the amphitheater for church ministries but not for outdoor concerts or non-related church events. Work on the amphitheater is expected to begin by the end of the year, with completion within the next 12 months.

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“The minister assured us that they would only be using it for church-related baptismals and Sunday school lessons,” said Myrta Boyle, who lives adjacent to the church. “In the past, some of us had called the church and complained and maybe we weren’t reaching the right people. Now I understand they’re making telephone numbers available to neighbors as a conduit for us to get our concerns to them.”

Many said they thought the church would be a good neighbor when it opened its doors in 1987, but since then they say they have experienced excessive noise from the day camp and outdoor activities that the church hosts.

Complaints have ranged from the use of a public address system as early as 6 a.m., inadequate supervision resulting in children throwing food and garbage into neighboring yards to all-night camp-outs where children “run around and scream most of the night.”

“But I think they’ll definitely be better neighbors now because the Planning Commission let them know that they’d be watching to make sure they adhere to the conditions of the permit,” Boyle said, adding that the noise from the facility used to get so loud that her sons would have problems doing homework.

Tony Boden, city planning director, said his staff will review the situation 10 days from Tuesday to make sure the conditions of the existing permit are implemented, one year from now and one year from when the expansion is finished.

“Some of the concerns the neighbors shared with me were a surprise,” Boden said. “I’m glad they came forward, and I think the church is, too, because they want to be a good neighbor. It ended up being a good opportunity for people to address concerns and start out fresh.”

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Church officials said they would restrict use of the facility during certain hours to cut down on some of the noise.

“It makes no sense to build a community church and offend the community,” said Bud Harley, associate pastor. “I’m more interested in making sure we’re doing what’s right . . . than just building the addition and getting everyone upset.”

Boden said the city’s planning staff will begin conducting reviews of other churches with conditional use permits in residential areas on a regular basis because of issues raised with the expansion of Camarillo Community Church and the revelation of noise under its existing permit.