Victory celebration by church supporters following the Coastal Commission hearing.
SAN DIEGO  – In a historic vote of 11-0, the California State Coastal Commission approved St. John Garabed Armenian Church’s application to build a new church campus near Del Mar, California. The vote was taken on Thursday, January 14, 2016 in the San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chambers. The new campus, which will be built in stages over a period of several years, will include a sanctuary, social hall, education center, library, gymnasium, youth center, Armenian heritage park, picnic and meditation space, and abundant parking.
For more than one year, the church’s application has been under review by Coastal Commission staff. The church made numerous revisions and adjustments to be in compliance with coastal regulations. In fall 2015, Coastal staff sent a report to the commissioners stating that the church had met all necessary requirements with the exception of two staff-recommended conditions. Condition 1A proposed that the height of the church be lowered from 85 feet to 50 feet. Condition 1B proposed that the location of the church be moved to the back of the property (on the south side) so it would be less visible, essentially screening it from view.
In his remarks to the Coastal commissioners, Harry Krikorian, chairman of the church’s Trust Fund Committee, stated, “Our proposed plans are for a place of worship, a place to socialize, a place for remembrance, and a place to preserve our culture, traditions and heritage. We are not a commercial enterprise but a non-profit Christian Church with a rich and proud history.
Therefore, we disagree with staff that building a 50 foot church without the dome as they suggest is equally good and as functional as our design. We respect Coastal staff who reviewed and analyzed our project, however we find that conditions 1A & 1B do not meet the needs of our church nor satisfy our religious requirements.â€
