Simi Valley's Cornerstone Community Church was denied its request last week for a conditionaluse permit that would have allowed the church to build a religious campus on 60 acres in the Tierra Rejada Valley.

The Ventura County Planning Commission voted 5-0 on Oct. 9 not to accept Cornerstone's application for the permit because the project does not fit within open space requirements or the county's goal of preserving agricultural acreage.

The commission also upheld a previous decision by the planning director that the project's proposed Children's Hunger Fund (CHF) facilities—which would include a warehouse, administrative offices and a training center—are not equivalent to an agricultural use.

Located just north of the Reagan Library, the proposed project site sits on 138.5 acres in the Tierra Rejada greenbelt. The land is zoned as open space—a designation that does not allow religious or industrial facilities.

However, Cornerstone argued during the Oct. 9 hearing that the project should be permitted based on the equal terms provision of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA), which was enacted to prevent religious institutions from being discriminated against by zoning ordinances.

The applicant also contended that there are similar and even more intense uses already allowed in the greenbelt, such as the Reagan Library, Todd Road Jail, Brandeis-Bardin Campus and Thomas Aquinas College.

"We think this project is not all that impactful and that it will actually enhance the aesthetics of the Tierra Rejada Valley," Cornerstone's attorney Jack Rubens told the commission.

Rubens said that the church is not seeking any favors.

"What they are seeking is equal treatment," Rubens said. "The reason that Cornerstone has expended so much effort and so many dollars, frankly, and so much time is because they do very firmly believe that RLUIPA does unequivocally apply here."

The commission disagreed.

"According to the church's argument, the county must consider an application for a (conditionaluse permit) because our ordinance allows similar types of secular uses," Ventura County senior planner Dan Klemann told the Acorn. "The planning commission didn't buy that."

Of primary concern to both the commission and residents are the impacts the church development would have on the Tierra Rejada Valley.

Moorpark resident Chris Gates, who lives about a mile west of the proposed project site, said he wants to preserve the greenbelt.

"We are trying to keep our open space green. We are trying to make ourselves not look like Pacoima," said Gates, referring to the location of Children's Hunger Fund's headquarters. "I understand why they want to move out of there, but I certainly wouldn't want their business in our lovely community."

Gates told the commission that the good deeds of the church and the hunger fund do not change the fact that the project should not be allowed in open space zoning.

Tierra Rejada Valley resident Geoff Sjostrom agreed. He praised the work of both organizations but said he thought Cornerstone was going about the project the wrong way since the church knew the land had restrictive zoning.

"It seems that the church is coming in, buying the property and then trying to force it down our throat with the RLUIPA regulation," said Sjostrom, who lives directly across from the project site. "There are other pieces of property they could purchase to do this."

Rick Parkinson, Cornerstone's project manager, said the church plans to appeal the decision to the county board of supervisors.

Parkinson said he didn't want to comment on the case until it was presented to the board, but did say that the church is not "giving up or going away," especially since it now owns the property.

"We certainly feel we're on the right side of this," he said.

Supervisor Linda Parks of Thousand Oaks—a firm supporter of strengthening the greenbelt— said she is worried about the potential impacts of the project and that she has received many calls from concerned citizens as well.

Though out of fairness to the applicant Parks would not take a position on the project, she said the commission's unanimous decision will have significant weight when the matter goes before the board of supervisors.

"It's a land-use question," Parks said. "The church does wonderful things—it's just if this is the right place for it."

If the board of supervisors also denies Cornerstone's request to process its conditional-use permit application, the church does have two other options available.

One, the church could apply for an ordinance text amendment to change the wording of the ordinance to allow for religious institutions in open space.

Or Cornerstone could apply for a land-use zone change from open space to industrial, which would trigger a SOAR (Save Open Space and Agricultural Resources) vote.

However, Cornerstone has made it clear that it doesn't feel a zone change or General Plan amendment is necessary.

If the board approves the permit request, voters will not have a say on the development.

Plans for the Cornerstone project include an outdoor sanctuary, an Eternity Bible College campus, new headquarters for Children's Hunger Fund and athletic fields.

According to the proposal, about 40 percent of the site would be developed, with the rest remaining as open space. For more information on the project, visit www.cornerstonesimi.com.