Pastor Nate Wagner tells a packed meeting room that building a facility on Covington Way would give New Anthem Chapel a much-needed home.
Pastor Nate Wagner tells a packed meeting room that building a facility on Covington Way would give New Anthem Chapel a much-needed home. Credit: Pricila Flores / Noozhawk photo

Anthem Chapel hit a setback in its quest to establish a Goleta home for its congregation. 

The Goleta Planning Commission did not approve the Christian church’s proposal to build a new facility at 6595 Covington Way after a lengthy Monday meeting.

The project developers are allowed to appeal the commission’s decision to the Goleta City Council.

Steve Welton, land use consultant with the project team, said over email on Tuesday that the team is “really proud of the project and the support we received from Design Review Board,” citing the board’s approval of the project design last month. 

“We look forward to the opportunity to present it to City Council in the months ahead,” he added. 

With Commissioner Jennifer Fullerton absent and Cary Penniman abstaining, citing potential bias, only three commissioners on Monday were reviewed the construction project near Rancho La Patera and Stow House.

The project includes splitting a 3.4-acre lot between the existing Christ Lutheran Church and Anthem Chapel. 

Commissioners initially voted 2-1 to approve a map to split the lot in two, with Commissioner Anne Miller against.

However, in a 1-2 vote, they voted against approving a conditional use permit for the project and an exemption to place an electric bike parking space at the Christ Lutheran Church property, citing project impact concerns to the neighborhood.

The Anthem Chapel project proposes to build a 500-person sanctuary and a two-story education facility in Goleta.
The Anthem Chapel project proposes to build a 500-person sanctuary and a two-story education facility in Goleta. Credit: Courtesy rendering

Under the current proposal, one part of the property would go to Christ Lutheran Church and reduce the size of the  parcel, but leave the buildings as they are. 

The other portion would go to Anthem Chapel to build a 6,512-square-foot and 500-person sanctuary, a two-story, 13,554-square-foot preschool and day care building, recreation areas, and 117 parking spaces. 

The new facility would also allow the church to hold multiple services instead of the single service it currently holds at the Goleta Valley Junior High School. 

The office and preschool and day care buildings would be used by the congregation and neighborhood for up to 110 children, according to the city staff report. 

The project also includes reducing and restoring the monarch butterfly’s environmentally sensitive habitat area buffer from 100 to 50 feet to allow for recreation space for church members. 

This was found to not be detrimental to the environment, according to Goleta senior planner Brian Hiefield, but has faced criticism. 

Goleta Planning Commissioner Anne Miller tells the project team she doesn't want to create more divisiveness by approving the New Anthem Chapel's construction project.
Goleta Planning Commissioner Anne Miller tells the project team she doesn’t want to create more divisiveness by approving the Anthem Chapel’s construction project. Credit: Pricila Flores / Noozhawk photo

A new driveway would also be constructed on Los Carneros Road for Anthem Chapel. Additionally, landscaping would be added to the perimeter of the property.

The project also requested height adjustments for the building, elevator and the architectural projections for the church’s exterior cross to match one at Christ Lutheran Church. 

The project has been found to not generate more than the city threshold for vehicle miles traveled, will position noise away from resident homes and satisfies parking demands, according to Hiefield.

But neighboring residents and Planning Commission members shared concerns on the buffer reduction and traffic, size and noise impacts.

Commissioner Katie Maynard said she was “dismayed” the project impact report didn’t include data on weekend traffic. 

“Level of service on a weekend is definitely something our community cares about,” she said.

But, she said she can’t hold this project to a different standard as it does satisfy city requirements. 

Commissioners Rita Serotkin and Miller had concerns about the size of the sanctuary, the number of people the church would bring to the neighborhood, noise and overall compatibility. 

Miller said the project was not compatible with the neighborhood and the monarch habitat buffer reduction was “not her favorite thing.”

“The neighborhood gets disrupted, the neighbors get upset, we have enough divisiveness and whatnot in this world right now, I don’t want to create more,” she said. “Our community is too important to do that.” 

Welton said the project team did try to reduce the building’s mass.

He said the project team has looked at multiple locations, and it took them years before settling on the Covington Way location. 

“Anthem has looked long and hard for a location in Goleta. It has been difficult. There aren’t many places in Goleta that allow for public assembly that are open and available,” Welton said. 

“We are right next to a very similar public-serving uses,” he added. “It seems unusual to me that this use, a church, isn’t appropriate. If it’s not appropriate here, where in the city would it be appropriate?”

New Anthem Chapel member Bridget Jensen apologizes to neighboring residents for the church's behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic but says they will be receptive to complaints if the new sanctuary and education facility is built.
Anthem Chapel member Bridget Jensen apologizes to neighboring residents for the church’s behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic but says they will be receptive to complaints if the new sanctuary and education facility is built. Credit: Pricila Flores / Noozhawk photo

Anthem Chapel Pastor Nate Wagner also acknowledged the church hasn’t always been the best neighbor, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the church held outdoor services.

“(The outdoor services) did impact our neighbors in ways that were not ideal. I understand those concerns, and I sincerely apologize,” he said. “…One of the reasons we are pursuing a permanent home is because we believe it will allow us to be better neighbors.”

The project has had a steady group of critics and supporters since its proposal. They packed the meeting room on Monday, sharing comments for nearly an hour. 

“My wife and I were impressed with the drawings and the plans for a beautiful building, just not in this location,” Goleta resident Carter Morgan said. 

He also accused the Goleta Design Review Board of being biased in their review in May in favor of the project’s architects. 

Church members told neighbors they would be receptive to any potential neighbor complaints if the facility gets built.

“It’s very natural to be worried about things that are moving in and feel like they are encroaching on your home,” Bridget Jensen, Anthem Chapel member, said. 

“I would love to see something permanent established because we do spend so much time and energy on just moving things out of (Goleta Valley Junior High School).”

City staff will return to the Planning Commission in August with findings for denial.

Following recommendations from the Goleta Design Review Board, the Anthem Chapel project team has reduced the building height and mass, which the story poles now reflect.
Following recommendations from the Goleta Design Review Board, the Anthem Chapel project team has reduced the building height and mass, which the story poles now reflect. Credit: Evelyn Spence / Noozhawk photo

Editor’s Note: The article previously named the the church as New Anthem Chapel but it is Anthem Chapel.

Pricila Flores is a Noozhawk staff writer and California Local News Fellow. She can be reached at pflores@noozhawk.com.