Fountain Valley council OKs 12 new homes near Coastal Community church

Twelve new single-family homes will be built next to the Coastal Community Fellowship church in Fountain Valley following a unanimous City Council vote Tuesday.

The decision gives Garden Grove-based construction company Keystone DCS the green light to subdivide the 4-acre church property at 10460 Slater Ave. into two parcels. The Villa Serena residential project would be built on the southern portion of the site.

The proposed two-story homes will be 30 feet tall and range in size from 2,228 to 3,016 square feet. Each home will feature French- and Italian-style architecture and include four bedrooms, 4 1/2 bathrooms and a two-car garage, plus two additional parking spaces on a private driveway accessible through Ward Street.

Coastal Community Fellowship will remain in its current location and a driveway will be constructed from Slater to access the church’s new 98-space parking lot. An existing 6-foot-tall brick wall will serve as a barrier between the parking lot and nearby residences to the west.

New homeowners would be allowed to use the church’s parking lot on special occasions, but not on a routine basis, according to Matt Jenkins, a city senior planner.

Although she eventually voted in favor of the project, Mayor Pro Tem Cheryl Brothers said she believes having four-bedroom homes will create a parking problem.

“That tells me you’re going to have a lot of adults in that house and, funny, they all want a car,” Brothers said. “I’m not going to vote no on the project, but I am concerned and kind of forewarning it’ll be difficult parking.”

Four nearby residents took issue with potentially losing their privacy because of the new development and suggested planting 10-foot-tall cypress trees.

“It’ll be a small gesture from the developer to meet us halfway and plant those trees,” said Nahi Abraham.

Doing so “will protect our house from everyone watching us in a theater situation,” Abraham added. “That’s all we’re asking for.”

David Nguyen, project manager for Keystone, said he is confident the developer would be willing to work with the concerned homeowners about the size and type of trees.

“We can take it offline and find a reasonable way to work it out,” he said.

Construction on the project is tentatively scheduled to start in August and finish next June.