CHURCH EXPANSION PLAN DRAWS COMPLAINTS; ELDERS, RESIDENTS URGED TO `COOL OFF'.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

Before allowing the Newheart Foursquare Church to raise the roof for a new sanctuary, city officials have urged church elders and neighboring residents to mend their fences.

Following Wednesday's public hearing, where several residents spoke against the church's plan to build a 10,454-square-foot, two-story building on its 1.9-acre Township Avenue site, the Planning Commission postponed a vote and suggested a ``cooling off'' period.

``We usually bend over backwards to let churches do what they want,'' said Commissioner Dean Kunitz. ``This was the first time I dealt with a church when there was so much animosity in the community. (The meeting) didn't have that Simi Valley flavor of cooperation, and that bothered me.''

The Planning Commission has asked that the church consider designing a one-story building that is not set so close to the site's back wall, which abuts a residential area. A single-story building would help pacify residents concerned about their view of the surrounding hillsides.

Also, with city staff acting as mediators, church officials plan to meet with local residents who claim the church has not always been a good neighbor.

Their list of complaints include loud outdoor Bible meetings that adjourn late at night, disruptive music, drainage problems, and traffic congestion caused, in part, by a year-round preschool.

Senior Pastor Paul Kuzma conceded there are problems, but said he was unaware how deep the rift between church and community had become.

``The meeting went well from the perspective of uncovering the relational difficulties that have been there a long time,'' said Kuzma, who has served at the church for 12 years. ``I wasn't fully aware how extensive those feelings were. If anybody ought to be a great neighbor, it has to be a church.''

Neighbor Mario Speiser said he believes the church can do a better job communicating with residents.

For instance, Speiser said, he didn't know about the church's proposed expansion until last week, although church members said that they had been working on the plan for several years.

``They didn't break any fences, but they need to keep (relationships) in better condition,'' he said.

Kuzma said church officials discussed expansion plans only with those neighbors they thought would be most affected. In the future, he said the church would broaden its outreach.

But he said good communication needs to be practiced by people on both sides of the fence.

For instance, he was surprised to learn in a complaint residents filed with the city that some homes had been damaged when heavy winds blew shingles off the church roof.

``We will commit ourselves to doing a better job of communicating with neighbors,'' he said. ``But I need someone to call me when there has been damage to their homes.''

Neighbors say they are concerned about expansion in general because the neighborhood already is a busy corridor.

``There's a tremendous amount of activity in the area. If you expand the church, you may exacerbate the problems,'' Speiser said.

On the stretch of Township Avenue where Newheart Foursquare Church is located, there are two other churches - Iglesia DeJesucristo En Las Americas and the Simi Valley Bible Church.

There is also Township Elementary School and the Houghton Schreiber Park, which has six baseball fields. On weekends traffic is often congested and parking spaces are at a premium, causing drivers to search for curbside parking in the residential areas off Township Avenue.

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PHOTO (color) Pastor Paul Kuzma stands in front of an empty lot his church would like to build on.

Bob Halvorsen/Daily News