Sufism Reoriented says it would reduce the environmental impacts of its proposed 66,000-square-foot project
A recently released Contra Costa County planning report says a religious organization's proposal to build a 66,000-square-foot sanctuary in the Saranap neighborhood could have "significant" environmental impacts unless the organization agrees to take steps to reduce those impacts.
However, the draft Environmental Impact Report [EIR] also says that, aesthetically, the new Sufism Reoriented sanctuary, a multi-domed white building that would be built on a 3.25-acre site on Boulevard Way, would not “degrade the quality or character of the site and its surroundings.”
The report comes more than a year after Contra Costa County's Community Development Division decided the project, to be built in an unincorporated neighborhood just west of downtown Walnut Creek, merited a thorough environmental analysis, notably over concerns about aesthetics, air quality, traffic and soil quality.
As the project became known to Saranap residents, it hit a nerve, with a large group of residents objecting to the “spaceship-looking” building that would sit on seven parcels in their semi-rural neighborhood.
Opponents complained about aggressive door-to-door visits from Sufism members disseminating what opponents called misleading information about the project. They staged a protest, held public meetings and created their own homeowners group, the Saranap Homeowners Organization, after saying that the board of the long-standing Saranap Community Association had been taken over by Sufism members to advance this project.
Sufism members and supporters contended that some of the opposition to the project stemmed from religious intolerance and lack of understanding about their organization.
Sufism Reoriented leaders say the building will be used for religious, cultural and educational programs for its 350-member congregation. Sufism Reoriented is a nonprofit religious corporation, established in 1952. It has 500 members in the United States and two existing sanctuaries. One is in the Washington, D.C., area; the other is in a building on Boulevard Way, about a quarter mile east of the project site. Sufism Reoriented also runs the K-5 Meher School, which is also located in the Saranap neighborhood.
Despite its name, the organization is not affiliated with Islam, but follows the teachings of the late Meher Baba, a spiritual leader from India. Its teachings are “designed for individuals who strive to devote their lives to the love of God through service” and whose members “work in harmony with all religions.”
The proposed sanctuary would be wedged amongst mostly single-family homes, although its address would be along a stretch of Boulevard Way also populated by apartment buildings and commercial buildings.
The facility would include a prayer hall, administrative offices, library and bookstore and classroom spaces. Sufism leaders have said that the building, particularly the domes, was designed to blend in with the surrounding grass-covered hills. They also say it would be eco-friendly and “nestled in a glade of trees.”
Visually, they say the building's impact on the surrounding neighborhood would be lessened by the fact that two-thirds of it — 46,000 square feet—would be built underground.
It is this below-ground construction, as well as the size and look of the project, that generated neighborhood disagreements and prompted the county to commission the environmental review. Senior planner Lashun Cross said the controversy surrounding the project was another factor in the county deciding to ask for the review.
This draft EIR found that the “high quality” of the construction, landscaping and pedestrian improvements to Boulevard Way would lessen the sanctuary's visual impact on the neighborhood.
But the report noted a potential for signifcant adverse impacts from the excavation and construction. They include: an increase in noise and traffic and emissions of fugitive dust; possible harm to native wildlife habitats because of the removal of trees from the site; increased sediment in nearby Las Trampas Creek; and increasing instability of soil at the site and at neighboring properties.
The excavation itself could mean trucks making numerous trips per day to haul away dirt, causing diesel exhaust that could exceed thresholds set by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District for nitrogen gases.
The county prepared this report in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. Its purpose is not to recommend approval or denial of this particular project but to make the agency with jurisdiction—in this case, Contra Costa County—aware of "the consequences to the natural and human environment before carrying out or approving any project."
It is important to note that this EIR is not final. Rather, as a draft report, it is open for public review and revision. Anyone who supports or has concerns about the report's findings project has a 45-day period to comment.
The public can send comments in writing to the county’s Community Development Division by May 13 or speak at a hearing to take place 3:30 p.m. April 18 in the county Board of Supervisors' chambers in Martinez.
Senior planner Lashun Cross and the consultant will review the comments and decide if any issues raised merit further analysis. At some point, they will prepare a final EIR that will go to the county Planning Commission.
Patch contacted opponents of the project, one who said he needed more time to review the EIR before making a comment.
Steve Sardella, the outreach coordinator for the Sufism project, said his organization is willing to comply with the county’s suggestions for lessening any adverse environmental impacts. This includes obtaining a grading permit from the county to make sure that a qualified geotechnical engineer will monitor soil and groundwater conditions during excavation and construction.
“I am hopeful that many of our neighbors will read the EIR, and the county’s analysis of the potential environmental impacts of various aspects of our project and how they will be mitigated,” he said. “This EIR simply reflects the care and diligence with which protection of the neighborhood has been accomplished. The mitigation measures essentially define acts Sufism Reoriented must do as part of the project to protect the environment. Therefore, it is our intention to complete all of the required mitigations.”
To read more about the draft report's findings and mitigation recommendations go to county's web page for special projects.
Picture: Aerial view of the sanctuary project. Photo: Sufism Reoriented.
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