The church doesn’t feel like a church.
Anthem Chapel’s proposed two-story, agrarian-style church for 6595 Covington Way in Goleta lacks spiritual inspiration in the eyes of the Goleta Design Review Board, members said during a conceptual review hearing on Tuesday.
“I just don’t get an inspired feeling from your plan. It just doesn’t inspire spirituality to me,” board member Tamesha Schumacher said. “It looks a lot like a school or a shopping center, but not a church or a place of worship.”
Board member Cecilia Brown agreed with neighbors opposing the project that it’s too big and doesn’t have enough parking for the congregation.
“I appreciate what you want to do, and I know that churches are always good neighbors. I just feel that there will be a lot going on here, and I don’t want to see the neighborhood impacted by your activities,” Brown said.
The project, proposed between Christ Lutheran Church and the parking lot for Stow House, would be 22,038 square feet and include a sanctuary for a 500-person congregation, a preschool and daycare classrooms for up to 110 children and youth programs, and a 125-space parking lot.
The church also is requesting permission to reduce the buffer between the site and an environmentally sensitive habitat area from 100 feet to 50 feet.
Sylvia King expressed concern about overflow parking going into the neighborhoods and the impact the project would have on the butterfly habitat.
“Slashing the ESHA buffer, which protects the monarch habitat, to accommodate a mega church congregation will create precedents that chip away at local environmental protections,” King said. “Allowing Anthem to build here sets a precedent that leans toward favoritism of houses of worship over quiet, natural public spaces that have served as a refuge to the community and have been enjoyed for decades.”
Other neighbors noted that parts of the neighborhood are in a very high fire risk area and are worried how the church would impact evacuations.
Anthem Chapel’s supporters, however, said they liked the design and were excited about a place for families and kids to go.
Lyn Philibosian, who lives down the street from the proposed church, said something will eventually go on the site and she wanted to see something for families.
“The kids that go there and the young families, they’re our future leaders of Goleta and Santa Barbara,” Philibosian said, “and to see moral instruction, integrity and character being built in our kids and places for young families to go and enjoy gatherings, I just think it’ll be a great asset.”
Mary Moore, a Santa Barbara native and Anthem Chapel member, said she would be disappointed if the site was used for something else and that people couldn’t use the parking lot to attend events at Stow House, which Anthem Chapel does allow.
“I do believe that the design is beautiful, and I love that it is in the back of the lot and private and aesthetically gorgeous,” Moore said.
Christian church Anthem Chapel currently meets at Goleta Valley Junior High School, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, it met outside on the project site, which was owned by Christ Lutheran Church.
During that time, neighbors said they had issues with increased noise and traffic, teenagers pulling ding-dong ditching pranks, and people parking in front of driveways and fire hydrants. Some neighbors said they’re concerned those issues will only get worse if the project goes through.
However, Anthem Chapel wasn’t deterred from the site and has since entered a lease option, meaning it has the deed for the property and is paying off the cost over time to Christ Lutheran Church.
Christ Lutheran Church is expected to stay at the property in its existing building, even when the Anthem Chapel project is completed.
The Design Review Board didn’t make any official ruling on the project, as the hearing was just for the board and the public to make comments on the proposal.
Anthem Chapel will have to return to the board at a later date for preliminary approval before the project is reviewed by the Goleta Planning Commission.
