January 2018 Update

Dear CEC Member, (please scroll down for Chinese translation)

Thank you for praying for the meeting with the City on 11/29.  James Lee, our architect, Paw Lim, Ed Gin, Hilbert Chu and Pastor Steven Siu met with the City.  They talked with the City about the 30 foot right of way request, required improvements to Judson Lane, maximum building height, maximum sanctuary size, and the parking requirement.  The meeting helped clarify some of the City’s requirements which were not previously known, and it also helped to paint a clearer path forward.  Below is what we learned.

First, the amount of parking spaces we have on the property will dictate the size of our sanctuary.  The City requires 1 parking space per 3 pew seats in the sanctuary plus additional parking spaces for each classroom.  James Lee is doing a study of our parking lot and building usage to determine how many seats we can have in the sanctuary.  With a preliminary review of the given parameters, we estimate we will be able to build a sanctuary that seats 300 or less which still allows our largest services to double in size.  In addition, if we build a sanctuary for 300 or less, we will not have to go through any special discretionary approval process.

Second, the City verified that our lot allows for a maximum 30-foot-high building.  We could apply for special discretionary approval to change the building height to above 30 feet, but this process would require approval from the Linda Vista Planning Board and would take at least 12 months with no guarantee of approval.  James Lee recommended that we build a two-story building which would require no special discretionary approval process.  We did a building usage study, and without the third floor, we will still have over six spare classrooms on Sunday morning.

Third, the City requires us to upgrade Judson Lane, which belongs to the City, if we continue to use it as our driveway.  We are looking into various options such as asking the City to vacate Judson Lane, upgrading Judson Lane, or building another driveway.  James Lee is exploring these options for us.

Fourth, the City asked for a 30 foot right of way on the Annex property.  The City representative didn’t understand why the City asked for this right of way.  There is a chance that this requirement may disappear, and he will let us know as soon as possible.  If the City still requires the 30 foot right of way, then we will be able to build a sanctuary or Christian Education wing but not both. 

In summary, we learned that there is a path forward.  Assuming the 30 foot right of way demand disappears, we can build a 300 or less seat sanctuary with a two story Christian education wing without any special approvals next year.  Although this building may be smaller than what we desired, it will be more than large enough to accommodate our growing needs for years.

Please continue to pray for God’s guidance and grace upon the Building Committee.  We will continue to update you as we receive more information.

In His Service,

Elder Council

親愛的華人傳道會大家庭，                                               

感謝你為在11月29日與市政府會面向神祈求禱告。 我們的建築師James Lee、林寶川 (Paw Lim)、陳勝高 (Ed Gin) 、朱國豪(Hilbert Chu) 和蕭浩文牧師 (Pastor Steven Siu)一起與市政府代表會面。他們和市政府代表討論了有關30英尺預留空間的要求、改善Judson 巷道的要求、最大建築高度、主堂最大規模和停車場要求。這個會議幫助我們了解一些以前所不知道有關市政府的要求，也有助於更清晰地規劃未來的方向。 以下是我們所學到的：

首先，我們擁有的停車位數量將決定我們的主堂的規模。市政府規定每3個座位需要1個停車位，每間教室還需要一個額外的停車位。 James Lee建築師正在研究我們的停車場和建築物的使用情況，以確定我們在主堂裡能夠容納多少個座位。 通過既定的數據進行初步審查，估計我們將能夠建立一個不超過300人的主堂，這可使我們最大堂的崇拜人數增加一倍。 另外，如果我們建造一個300座位上下的主堂，我們就不需要經過任何特殊的酌量的審批程序。

其次，市政府證實我們的地段允許建築物高度達30英尺。 我們可以申請特別酌情批准，以將建築高度改為30英尺以上，但是這個過程需要先得到Linda Vista規劃委員會的批准，並至少需要等候12個月的時間，而且不能保證能夠獲得批准。 James Lee 建築師建議我們建造一座兩層樓建築，這即不需要經過特殊的酌量審批。 我們做了一項建築樓宇使用的研究，無須建造三層樓，我們主日早上仍有六個備用的教室。

第三，如果我們繼續使用屬於市政府的Judson 巷道作為我們的車道，市政府方面要求我們改善Judson巷道。我們正在尋找各種可行方案，例如要求市政府撤出Judson巷道的所有權、改善Judson 巷道，或建設其他車道。James Lee 建築師正在為我們尋找這些方案的實際可行辦法

第四，市政府要求在新購屋的土地上要有30英尺的預留空間。 市政府的代表不明白為什麼市政府要求這一點。但這個要求有可能取消；他會盡快讓我們知道。如果市政府仍然需要30英尺的預留空間，那麼我們只能夠建立一棟主堂或是一棟基督教育大樓而不是兩者兼具。

總之，我們了解到前方有一條可行的道路。 假設30英尺預留空間的要求取消，我們就能夠在明年興蓋一所不超過300人座位的主堂，再加上兩層樓的基督教育大樓， 並且不須經過任何特別批准。 雖然這座建築物的規模可能比我們所想的還要小，但是這座建築物的容量，將足以滿足我們多年來人數不斷增長的需求。

請繼續禱告求神帶領及賜給建堂委員會恩典。接下來，如果我們將收到更多的訊息，我們也會繼續為你提供最新訊息。

主內，

長老團