On Tuesday, San Diego City Council reversed a vote from last year, paving the way for All Peoples Church to build a church facility in Del Cerro.

After facing a lawsuit from the church over alleged violations of free speech and religious freedom rights, the council voted again Tuesday, this time 5-4 in favor of the project at the intersection of College Avenue and Interstate 8.

The church was founded in City Heights in 2008 by Pastor Robert Herber as part of the Antioch Movement of Churches and met for many years at Crawford Middle School before outgrowing the facility. While its plans to build a permanent home on the Del Cerro site languish, the church meets at a location in La Mesa on Allison Avenue. At the council meeting, the church’s attorney Dan Dalton said the La Mesa facility is a fraction of the size needed for the congregation.

The church purchased the six-acre Del Cerro site in 2017 and has been working to build its new 54,476-square-foot facility, nicknamed The Light Project, since then. Plans include a 900-seat sanctuary, 350 parking spots, a basketball court in a multi-use room, and staff offices.

The project has been hotly opposed by neighbors who formed the group Save Del Cerro.

After the reversal, the group threatened their own lawsuit. Save Del Cerro fears the traffic caused by APC’s growing congregation could be a safety hazard. They have long claimed the traffic from the congregation of 850 adults and children would far exceed traffic study estimates.

The oddly-shaped site abuts single-family homes in a residential area yet is next to high-traffic streets. Already, the church had the Navajo Community Plan amended to allow church use on land zoned as residential. The project calls for building a new intersection for the church.

Councilmembers Joe LaCava and Vivian Moreno were the only two to change their votes in support of the church project on Tuesday. Councilmember Henry Foster III was not on the council for the previous vote. During the new vote, he supported the church, going so far as to get into a heated disagreement with Save Del Cerro members following the council meeting.

Councilmember Jennifer Campbell remained opposed to the project and was upset the project was only reconsidered due to litigation threats. “I will not bend to this coercion,” she said. Another council member, Sean Elo-Rivera, admitted the potential court costs were a reason to support the project, especially since the city could lose, leading to cuts to essential services. The church’s attorney Dalton previously settled a lawsuit in his client’s favor against the city when Our Lady of Peace Academy, a Catholic girl’s school in North Park, applied for a site expansion the city denied.

All Peoples Church’s lawsuit alleged the city violated the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act by holding the church to stricter rules and higher scrutiny than a secular project would receive.

With the approval of the project, it is likely the lawsuit will be dropped, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

(Courtesy image)