Anthem Chapel Plans an Appeal to Goleta City Council

Anthem Chapel Plans an Appeal to Goleta City Council covers a proposed church expansion in Goleta and the planning hurdles it has faced. It says Anthem Chapel intends to buy 2.5 acres from a 3.3-acre lot at 6596 Covington Way and build a new church totaling 20,000 square feet. The Planning Commission approved the lot split on June 22 but voted two-to-one against the conditional use permit needed to raise the church, prompting Anthem to say it will appeal to City Council. The church currently holds its sole Sunday service at Goleta Valley Junior High School’s auditorium, with larger holiday services at Dos Pueblos High’s performing arts center. Residents raised concerns about traffic, parking, safety, and impacts on monarch butterfly habitat in the Los Carneros Lake open-space area, including claims that a full environmental study is needed and that habitat and light/noise changes could affect overwintering sites. The article ties the dispute to traffic spillover from the site’s use as overflow parking for other popular events.