A California city has agreed to allow a megachurch to build a new building for its growing congregation, reversing an earlier decision opposing the construction project.
The San Diego City Council voted 5-4 last Tuesday to allow All Peoples Church to construct a new 900-seat building with 300 parking spaces and classrooms on the property.
Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera, who voted in favor of the proposal, said a lawsuit filed against the city by the church was a factor in his decision to support the project.
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“While it may seem like no big deal to say we will fight this to the ends of the Earth, there are real costs associated with that,” said Elo-Rivera, according to CBS 8. “I cannot in good faith say that we should fight this to the ends of the Earth when I do not think that we will succeed.”
Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, who voted against the proposal, believed that the property, which was originally zoned for residential buildings, should be exclusively used for housing.
“Using residentially zoned land to build a project that has no housing, my view, is irresponsible under the current conditions that we face in our city,” said Whitburn, as quoted by CBS 8.
All Peoples Church was looking to develop property it owns in Del Cerro, a neighborhood located in eastern San Diego, to serve as a new church home. They called the endeavor “The Light Project.”
In January of 2024, the city council voted 6-2 to reject the church’s application to turn the property into a worship facility after hearing hours of public comments for and against it.
“It’s just too large, too intense for this particular property,” said Michael Livingston with the group Save Del Cerro at the meeting last year, as quoted by CBS 8. “They are trying to get a dedicated traffic signal for themselves on College Avenue, a major arterial through our neighborhoods going to San Diego State, [it’s] just going to cause all kinds of difficulties.”
In response to the rejection, the church filed a lawsuit against city officials in March of last year, accusing San Diego of engaging in religious discrimination against the congregation.
According to church officials, they had already received approval from the city’s planning commission the year before, which commended their proposal and layout.
The church claimed that some members of the neighborhood had engaged in an intimidation campaign that misrepresented the actual impact of the building project.
“The law is clear, the city cannot discriminate against a religious use using different rules and analysis from a non-religious project in a similar situation,” said Dan Dalton, a lawyer for the church, in a statement released last year.
“Federal law protects churches from the abuse of government in creating different standards for a religious facility, which is what the council did in justifying its motion to deny the All Peoples Church Light Project.”
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