Calvary center move gets OK

Plans by Calvary Christian Center in Yuba City to expand to a new, larger location have been endorsed by city planners.

The city Planning Commission approved a use permit Wednesday night for proposed construction of a new Calvary Christian campus on 23 acres at the southeast corner of Highway 20 and El Margarita Road. The new facility will be about three times bigger than the existing location, said business manager Cliff Smart.

"We just ran out of space," he said. "And it's too costly to expand or do something here."

The new campus will include an 80,000-square-foot sanctuary to seat more than 2,000 people, a 16,380-square-foot elementary school capable of accommodating more than 300 students, playground facilities, a baseball diamond and soccer fields. Plans also allow for construction of 612 parking spaces.

The new sanctuary is designed in anticipation of Calvary Christian Center continuing to grow. It has room for almost twice as many parishioners, but evidence shows attendance starts declining when capacity reaches 70 percent, Smart said.

"When it gets too crowded, a lot of people don't want to rub elbows with somebody," he said. "They're friendly but they're not that friendly."

The Calvary Christian Center has been in the same location for more than 35 years on El Margarita Road. The new campus will be built on the other side of El Margarita and will replace and augment operations at the current location, which may one day be sold, Smart said.

Calvary Christian Center will be required to build a northbound left-turn and right-run lanes at Highway 20 and El Margarita. It will pay 8 percent of the city's cost to install a traffic light at the intersection and 17 percent of the cost to install a signal at Spirit Way and Harter Parkway.

Smart said it is not yet know when construction may begin or be completed, he said.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4724 or agebb@appealdemocrat.com.