Plans to Build a Megachurch Behind Atwater Village Costco

A new "megachurch" has been proposed for a site just behind Atwater Village's temple of commerce, Costco. According to the Eastsider, the "supermarket-sized church, athletic facility and sprawling parking lot would be built on a 20-acre parcel now occupied by a tent-like building and other structures that have in the past been used by a church called New Hope Chapel." The matter was discussed at last night's Atwater Village Neighborhood Council meeting, where members decided to send a letter to the City Council asking for a June 26 hearing to be postponed. The church says they expect no more than 700 people to attend any of the three to six services they plan to hold each Sunday. Though there's local opposition to the project (concerns range from groundwater contamination to traffic to construction noise), some councilmembers had been poised to recommend the project. One worried that rejecting this project would "open the door" to another big box or industrial development on the site. If they had a chance to send their letter it doesn't seem to have done much good. According to the AVNC's Facebook page, the June 26 hearing is going ahead as planned.
· Planned Atwater "mega church" draws neighborhood opposition [ELA]