Church Sues Over Curbs on Development
An Orange County church filed lawsuits Tuesday charging that the city of Cypress was trying to halt its building plans in favor of businesses that would provide the city with tax dollars.
The legal action, filed in federal and Superior Court in Santa Ana, is the latest salvo in a 15-month dispute between Cottonwood Christian Center and the city over 18 acres of real estate in a redevelopment area near Los Alamitos Race Course.
The church is seeking unspecified monetary damages along with the right to develop on six adjacent parcels of land it purchased in 1998 for $13 million.
City officials said the church does not fit with their redevelopment plans, and they would prefer to see tax-generating businesses on the property such as retail stores and restaurants.
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