City Seeks Comment on Plan for Church

The City Council on Tuesday will seek public comment on a proposal to build a church complex on Rancho Viejo Road.

The project was recommended for approval last month by the Planning Commission, despite complaints from residents who argued that it could create traffic and noise problems.

The proposal by Resco Development and Gateway Community Church of the Nazarene calls for a 25,927-square-foot facility on 11.6 acres near Rancho Viejo Road and Via Escolar.

The construction would be in phases, with a fellowship hall and sanctuary to be built first. Sunday school and preschool classrooms and administrative offices would come later.

Resco Development has also indicated that in the future it might build an office complex on the 2.5 acres of the site that the church will not use.

Robert King, a local resident and member of the grass-roots organization Save Our San Juan, said the community’s concern is that quality of life may suffer.

“There’s no opposition to the church at all,” he said. “It’s fine as long as the lifestyle of those neighborhoods is protected.”

Gateway Pastor Jim Tracy said that, if the council approves the church’s plans, he expects construction to start this summer.

“We’re eager to be a broader ministry to the community,” he said.

The council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto. Information: (714) 493-1171.