Sufism sanctuary proposal draws passionate debate during all-day hearing in Walnut Creek
Walnut Creek: A hotly disputed proposal to build a 66,000-square-foot church near Walnut Creek drew accusations of everything from a secret agenda to build a convention center to religious discrimination during an emotional, all-day hearing Tuesday that again pitted neighbor against neighbor.
More than 700 people packed the Lesher Center for the Arts on Tuesday for the special Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting to consider the Sufism Reoriented sanctuary.
Supervisors heard hours of public testimony but made no decision whether the 350-member religious group can build its church just outside Walnut Creek city limits.
The Sufism Reoriented hearing will resume Feb. 29, again at the Lesher Center.
The proposed building -- two-thirds of which would be underground -- would house a worship hall, classrooms, offices, a bookstore, a cafe and skylights on 3 acres in a small unincorporated neighborhood known as Saranap.
The debate has been intensifying in recent months, including four public meetings that preceded approval by the county Planning Commission in November.
Opponents said Tuesday their concerns have nothing to do with religion, but others argued that is precisely what this fight is about.
"The NIMBYism and stall tactics have been well demonstrated today," said Saranap resident Mary Dunne Rose. Sufis, she said, have a "right to religious freedom."
But opponents countered that the building is much too big and its effects have not been adequately studied, said Stuart Flashman, attorney for the Saranap Homeowners Organization. While Sufism Reoriented can afford a big building, it doesn't mean the group should be allowed to build it, he said.
"Just because you want a Mercedes doesn't mean you can't drive a Ford," Flashman said.
Sufis say they need the space for things such as a rehearsal area for their chorus, office space for their spiritual leader and a place to store sacred materials.
"Should we set aside our most sacred religious practices because a few people don't like the idea that we will be using space they will never need to see?" said Sufi Gary Conner.
Religion is also an issue because of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, said Sandy Skaggs, lawyer for Sufism Reoriented. The federal law protects churches from burdensome restrictions, and Skaggs argued that any changes to the size or design of the sanctuary would violate that law.
"We are very prepared to defend this in court," he said.
Many non-Sufis also spoke in favor of the sanctuary, saying it will be beautiful, and championing the Sufis for their neighborhood school and community service.
But some opponents continued to argue that a secret Sufi agenda is the only reasonable explanation for why they need so much space.
Opponents pointed to the 43 planned toilets as proof that the Sufis are trying to build a convention center.
Others criticized the design, a large central rotunda dome encircled by 12 smaller domes. Allen Anthony, a Saranap resident, said it will look like storage tanks or an oil refinery in his neighborhood and that only Sufis will want to live there.
The design reflects sacred religious figures and represents their faith, said Carol Weyland Conner, the murshida, or spiritual leader, of the church.
Sufism Reoriented follows the teachings of Meher Baba, and the faithful believe in a core of divine love at the heart of all spiritual systems.
Supervisors did not talk much Tuesday about their concerns or give opinions. But they had questions on issues, including parking, which will be discussed at the Feb. 29 hearing.
The Sufis' plan calls for 71 parking spaces for the sanctuary. Because of the Sufis' pledge to walk and carpool as much as possible to the center, the county had required fewer parking spaces than normally requested for a project this size.
Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, of Richmond, said the parking plan is based on the Sufis saying they will keep their congregation roughly the same size. "That's a big assumption," he said.
Picture: People fill a theater at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, as the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors gather to hear both sides in a fight over a proposed 60,000-square-foot Sufi sanctuary in the Saranap area. Photo: Dan Rosenstrauch/Staff.
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