GRANITE BAY, CA (December 11, 2001) – Plans for a $20 million construction project at Bayside Covenant Church have been approved by Placer Superior Court Judge James D. Garbolino.
The judge issued his ruling following 50 minutes of oral debate Monday afternoon. Opponents of the project argued that the proposed 94,000-square-foot facility would not be consistent with the Granite Bay Community Plan or area environmental regulations. There was no immediate word on whether or not opponents would appeal the decision.
“We feel like we’re in the homestretch now,” said Frank Calton, Bayside’s volunteer building coordinator. The church has started a plan checking process with Placer County in preparation for construction. If plan checks are approved, the church hopes to begin construction process next April. The project will require about 16 months to complete, according to Calton.
The church has started a second capital campaign to pay for construction and is exploring financing options with National Covenant Properties. David Johnson, president of National Covenant Properties, visited the proposed construction site last week.
The church originally desired to build a 173,000-square-foot facility with 1,550 parking spaces on its 34-acre parcel. The church made many alterations in plans before getting county approval in the fall of 2000. The church eventually reduced the size of the proposed facility and reduced the proposed number of parking spaces to 883.
Bayside Covenant Church, founded in 1995, averaged just under 4,000 in worship attendance in 2000, according to the latest Covenant Yearbook statistics. Ray Johnston is senior pastor at the church, which is located near Sacramento in Northern California.
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