Protect Los Carneros: Uphold the Denial of Anthem Chapel
The Goleta Planning Commission denied Anthem Chapel’s proposed 20,000+ square foot multi-use facility on Los Carneros Road. Anthem Chapel has appealed to the City Council. We ask the Council to uphold the denial. Your response will be submitted to cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.gov before the hearing.
This massive complex is built for crowds our streets can’t handle
Three Sunday services from 8am to 9pm, with up to 1,500 adults plus their children
Weekday evening service from 6pm to 9pm
Tuesday and Thursday evening youth groups of 50 to 100 children
Weekday daycare from 8am to 5pm and preschool from 9am to 1pm
Daily study groups of up to 75 people
Up to 26 weddings and 30 memorials a year with up to 300 people each, plus conferences and special events
Only 117 parking spaces for the entire complex
Neighbors: speak up now
Anthem Chapel is appealing the Planning Commission’s 3–1 denial of its project at 6595 Covington Way. Tell the Goleta City Council why the denial should stand. Your response will be submitted to cityclerkgroup@cityofgoleta.gov before the hearing.
Preserve the buffer. The site borders the public open space of Lake Los Carneros and environmentally sensitive monarch habitat. The plan cuts the protective buffer from 100 feet to 50 feet and places a play yard and stormwater basin inside it.
Protect our quiet. The sanctuary has roll-up doors that open directly toward the Stow House gardens, the caretaker’s cottage and the fire station. The project’s noise study left out congregants gathering outside, daycare activity, and the outdoor play yard for up to 110 children. With activity from morning to 9pm on Sundays and weekdays, nearby homes, the preserve and Stow House would lose the quiet the General Plan is meant to protect.
Secure safe streets. Two new driveways on Los Carneros Road would cross the Class II bike lane. Los Carneros Road is a Class II bike route and designated Scenic Corridor used by families, students, and visitors to access the preserve, Stow House and the Railroad Museum. With only 117 spaces for this many people, overflow parking and traffic will spill onto streets that Stow House events already fill.
Safeguard emergency access. The site sits about 180 feet from the Fire Station 14 exit, on a potential evacuation route in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Congestion on Sundays and event days would slow emergency response and evacuation when it matters most.
Too big to skip environmental review. The City exempted this project from CEQA as “infill,” so no Initial Study or Environmental Impact Report was ever prepared. Yet the project needed nine exceptions to City code, including buildings over the height limit, fewer parking spaces and trees than required, and no loading space.
