No Withdrawal or Extension for Coptic Church Plans

Representatives of Holy Virgin Mary Coptic Orthodox Church on Thursday morning were denied their request for a two month extension period to redesign their highly contested plans to build a 62-unit senior living facility at the intersection of Avenue 50 and Aldama Street.

As a result of the decision passed down by Associate Zoning Administrator Sue Chang during a hearing held at City Hall, the project will be judged based on the current plans, and not an updated proposal the developers had hoped to forward after integrating feedback from neighborhood residents.

Chang closed the hearing after listening to public comments for nearly two hours. A ruling date has not been set.

The church is seeking a host of variances. The most highly contested exemption would allow them to build 62 residential units on four parcels of land on Avenue 50, which is located within a zoning area that only allows 13 residential units to be built.

The project also calls for the construction of a two-story recreational facility and up to 62 parking stalls.

Church representatives had hoped to receive a 60-day extension, in order to come back to the zoning administrator with revised plans tailored to community input.

"We heard the community and we understand," said Lee Embers. "We decided we would adhere to those concerns and redesign the project.

However, when Chang denied the request for an extension, saying it would be impossible to know how significant the changes to take place during the 60 day period would be, Embers opted to have the project judged on its current design, rather than withdrawing completely and going back to the drawing board.

He told Chang that, in addition to the church's redesigning of their plans after discovering two utility easements that run below the property, the project was largely delayed by city staff "dragging its feet."

"We don't want to go through that again," Embers said. "We're not withdrawing."

Approximately two dozen neighbors expressed concerns about the proposed project, including the four-stories tall apartment building that would be its centerpiece.

"I was quite concerned to learn about the project's size and scale and added congestion," said Aldama Street resident Syrinthia Studer.

Studer also argued that the proposed facility violated four of the five provisions in the municipal code overseeing elder care facilities, which require that:

1. Will not be materially detrimental or injurious to properties or
improvements in the immediate area; and

2. Will provide services to the elderly such as housing, medical services, social services, or long term care to meet the citywide demand; and

3. Will not create an adverse impact on street access or circulation in the surrounding neighborhood; and

4. Consists of an arrangement of buildings and structures (including
height, bulk, and setbacks), off-street parking facilities, loading areas, lighting, landscaping, trash collection, and other pertinent improvements, which is or will be compatible with existing and planned future development on neighboring
properties; and

5. Is in conformance with any applicable provision of the General Plan.

Other Highland Park and Mount Washington locals expressed a host of  complaints about the proposed project, including Terrace 49 residents who worried that the project would obstruct their views and limit access by emergency vehicles to their homes.

Residents also voiced worries about increased traffic on Avenue 50, the obstruction of views and the potential noise and nuisance that would caused by the project's recreational facility.

Embers said the size of the project was necessary to pay back the debt the church would incur to build it. Though he did not provide an estimated construction cost, Embers said that ancillary aspects of the project--including a retaining wall that would surround it, and 15-foot cut-away to allow for left hand turns into the property on Avenue 50--would cost millions.

"The church is not going to make a profit on this project," Embers said. "They're going to have a mortgage on it, and they're going to have debt service they'll have to pay. The debt service is going to be huge because of the wall, and because of the streets. They're going to have to put in a curb and things of that nature. Just the off-site improvements are astronomical."

The project was not without its supporters, who included several church members who saw a growing need for senior housing, especially as Coptic Christians face intense persecution in Egypt.

"It seem to me that people are complaining about the traffic congestion and the aesthetics," said church member Mary Absoo, who lives in Burbank. "I think there are more pressing issues, such as providing a home for senior people."

Referencing the concerns expressed by neighbors about attendees of the Church on 4900 Cleland Avenue who park on nearby streets, Absoo noted that the congregation has grown significantly over the last two years as Copts have fled persecution in Egypt.

"There are a lot of new families seeking asylum in the United States," she said.