Church is given use permit

Huntington Beach granted Calvary Chapel of the Harbour, the only church in Sunset Beach, a conditional use permit to leave its cramped quarters and move to a nearby shopping center.

The church, which has operated since 2003 out of the Sunset Beach Women’s Club, received permission from the Planning Commission to move into the space vacated by the Red Onion restaurant in Peter’s Landing Marina, 16400 Pacific Coast Hwy. The property is identified as a commercial visitor zone, and the church needed a permit to operate a religious assembly on the premises.

The commission granted the permit Tuesday, but the church can’t gather in the facility until the California Coastal Commission gives it approval. The commission did, however, change a condition to allow the church to begin renovations on the facility and expanded the allowed hours of operation, which the commissioners were concerned were too restrictive.

The church signed a lease for the space in April and began paying rent Oct. 1, said Kathleen Pedick, Pastor Joe Pedick’s wife.

About five people spoke during public comment about how the congregation has gotten too large for the Women’s Club, which has an overflow crowd spilling out the front door on a typical Sunday.

“If you would like to come to our church on a Sunday morning, you will see our dilemma,” Kathleen Pedick said.

According to Joe Pedick, some of the perks of moving into Peter’s Landing would be a larger facility, more parking spaces and relationships with local tenants whom the church could provide with customers.

Many expressed concern over waiting for Coastal Commission approval, which some said could take a year or longer, but city staff promised to fast-track the process.

Despite the delay, churchgoers were pleased with the commission’s decision and went around thanking each commissioner after the vote.

“We’re thankful for where we’re at,” Joe Pedick said. “They absolutely listened to our concerns. and we’re appreciative as a church.”

Beach and Edinger

The Planning Commission certified an Environmental Impact Report that would allow a plan to increase residential development and intensify density to create a portion of a “lifestyle center,” but held off on the actual plan for another month.

The Beach and Edinger Corridors Specific Plan will allow a mixed-land use zoning to create a more pedestrian-friendly and visibly pleasing area. The commission certified a statement of overriding support on the significant and unavoidable impacts the plan would create.

The report was certified 5 to 2 with Vice Chairman Blair Farley and Commissioner Tom Livengood voting against it.

A handful of residents spoke against the plan, urging the commission not to approve the report.

Robert Sternberg, the director of Huntington Beach Tomorrow and the president of the Goldenwest Neighborhood Assn., said if the report was adopted, it was impose significant and avoidable impacts on the residents forever and urged the commission to make it “sensible and reasonable.”

“You want to be known as the Planning Commission, not the figure-it-out-later commission,” Sternberg said.

The plan would create significant and unavoidable impacts even with mitigation to air quality, cultural resources, noise, population and housing, public services, recreation, transportation and traffic, and utilities and service.

Some commissioners expressed concerns over the degree the project would impact residents. Livengood was especially concerned over the mitigation measures for the traffic impacts the project would create.

“My concern is these mitigation measures are so weak, they make no sense,” he said.

The project was continued until the Jan. 12 Planning Commission meeting.