Calvary Chapel vs. Chip Ross Park
The Gazette-Times front page today features an article about the new development planned by megachurch Calvary Chapel near Chip Ross Park off of Highland Drive. Calvary has been temporarily housed in various sites for the past few years, currently holding services in the now vacant Westland Middle School.
This development is gigantic, folks. And it will sit adjacent to Chip Ross Park, the mostly undeveloped hiking park with arguably the best vistas of Corvallis. Calvary has purchased more than 50 acres and, in the very first stage of development, plans to construct a 27,000 ft² "worship center" with subsequent plans to put further buildings in the woods and in the upland prairie meadow that has just received designation as environmentally sensitive -- something the church plans to challenge to allow their "meditation center" plans move forward.
The park is currently a peaceful place to spend an afternoon. With 600 church members, a large new parking lot, a ginormous church building and the obvious sense of entitlement by church leaders to rape the landscape for God, there won't be much peace on the mountain by next fall. A group calling itself "Friends of Chip Ross Park" has started a blog covering the development plans for the region, complete with purty pictures that will assuredly be less purty as the development commences. Because this land is already within the Corvallis city limits, there is no review planned via the City Council. Boo.
This development is gigantic, folks. And it will sit adjacent to Chip Ross Park, the mostly undeveloped hiking park with arguably the best vistas of Corvallis. Calvary has purchased more than 50 acres and, in the very first stage of development, plans to construct a 27,000 ft² "worship center" with subsequent plans to put further buildings in the woods and in the upland prairie meadow that has just received designation as environmentally sensitive -- something the church plans to challenge to allow their "meditation center" plans move forward.
The park is currently a peaceful place to spend an afternoon. With 600 church members, a large new parking lot, a ginormous church building and the obvious sense of entitlement by church leaders to rape the landscape for God, there won't be much peace on the mountain by next fall. A group calling itself "Friends of Chip Ross Park" has started a blog covering the development plans for the region, complete with purty pictures that will assuredly be less purty as the development commences. Because this land is already within the Corvallis city limits, there is no review planned via the City Council. Boo.
posted by Corvallist at
4:49 AM
19 Comments:
Yeah, I'm upset about this. Why does a church need 56 acres anyway? And in a town that's supposedly got a huge population of non-churchgoers?
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Anonymous, at 12:16 PM
This sounds horrible. I'm not a big fan of that church, and I'd far prefer nothing there than a big ostentatious church.
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Christopher Farrell, at 12:36 PM
I can't stand mega churches. I learned young how cheap and consumerist they really are when the family christian center in Munster, IN got a starbucks.
From the praise bands to the mostly white nerds, Mega churches do not appeal to me.
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crallspace, at 8:29 PM
perhaps if enough of us e-mail the church--daily--in protest, they will rethink their decision, or at least perhaps some of their development decisions. write letters to the editor, too on a regular basis. these folks need to learn about the impact such a (unnecessarily large) structure has on the environment. i am going to send them some info. at the very least, i hope they use sustainable building materials and alternative sources for energy use. although like many religious nutheads, they may think global warming and the breakdown of our environment is all part of "god's plan". groan....
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Nina, at 11:47 PM
I call mega churches "McChurches" or "McGod". Where are they getting the money to build such a monstrosity? All this big money stuff, when the money could go to do good in the world. Bothers me with the extreme amounts spent on political campaigns, also. What waste. And to tear down "God's turf"---you know, a native environment, to concrete it over and build some ugly huge building, and that is somehow supposed to be superior to what God made, which would be nature, if you're a believer, ---arrogance. Such hypocrisy. Well, how about drumming sessions at Chip Ross every Sunday? That sort of thing. What kind of church wants to take 56 acres? That's greed.
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Strayer, at 2:42 AM
I don't see on their webpage that they perform any "ministries" for the community, such as like is done at St. Mary's Soup Kitchen and now the homeless shelter being opened for the winter by the Unitarians and the West Hills church. What does Calgary Baptist do, as a church, in the local area, I wonder.
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Anonymous, at 3:02 AM
Why the heartburn? They are well within the designated zoning and urban growth guidelines. They can’t possibly fill 56 acres, so I assume they’ll have a campus-like feel and be well buffered into the landscape.
We elect city councilmen and hire planners to develop some of the most restrictive land use regulations in the nation, then people complain that the housing planned for downtown is too dense, or too tall; or in the case of this church they just don’t want it at all. This is a city – not a park. Why do people feel they’re entitled to the tree on someone else’s land?
The liberties we hold precious are based on self determination and property rights. Corvallis has bought up and locked away all sorts of green space at taxpayer expense; you can’t keep people from using their remaining property within the established rules.
There’s a sound reason that Corvallis lacks affordable housing for working class families. It’s simple supply and demand; we’ve constrained supply with restrictive land use regulations, while demand has continued to grow. Those who would turn Corvallis into a bubble of park space will find that their children will have to move to Albany, Philomath, or Lebanon to find affordable housing.
Perhaps this is really about the church. I have no use for a church, but does it matter if it’s a church, an office park, or a bowling alley? Not making any assumptions about this blog’s readership, but Corvallis sensibilities in general; what would be the reaction if this new building was the “Unitarian/New Age/Holistic Health/Yoga Pilates/Go Beavers/Alternative Transportation/Gender Neutral/Nature Center/Meditation/Homeless Center/Youth Center/Senior Center/Community Center” with solar power, sustainable systems, and green construction techniques? Would anyone accuse the builder of greed?
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Michael Smith, at 10:23 AM
I called their minister and we'll see if I get a call back. Great comments so far. I agree-- what do they need 56 acres for?
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crallspace, at 3:10 PM
Personally, Michael, if a green energy yoga center was going to trample a natural setting like the region by Chip Ross Park, then yes, my opinion would remain unchanged. Odd, though, that the greenies tend NOT to build giant mega complexes without taking environmental factors into consideration.
There is smart growth and there is obscene growth. This is an example of the latter. The McMansions that turned the Timberhill neighborhood into a ridiculous amount of housing square footage compared to the amount of land is another example. The grown planned down on 7th Street? Beautifully handled.
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Corvallist, at 5:44 PM
Darn it, I hate when I hit enter too soon. ;)
Addendum: If you want to see an example of what happens when you loosen the restrictions too much, take a drive down to Chico, California. Big box buildings everywhere, city council that never says no... and it has bloomed from 40,000 to more than 100,000 in 15 years in the ugliest manner possible. There are now gang shootings and the crime rate is much higher. Is that better than having restrictive land use? Not in my opinion.
I'm all for the Home Depot, by the way. It's in a good spot, where other similar buildings exist. I'm not anti-development. I'm anti-stupid development. This church is in the wrong place and they aren't willing to preserve a vanishing habitat.
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Corvallist, at 5:47 PM
The money for this project has got to be coming from somewhere outside of Corvallis and probably even outside of Oregon. Someone who wants America covered with megachurches.
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Anonymous, at 6:37 PM
I’m still not sure I follow you. The Timberhill large houses on small lots is just an example of “dense” development isn’t it? Would you prefer that the McMansions sprawl over larger lots?
Gangs moving into unregulated sprawl? OK, are you suggesting that we need to keep housing prices high to keep out undesirable elements?
And we are in agreement on Home Depot, but my wife sure hates it.
From what I read in the paper, the church is well within guidelines for habitat protection. As long as someone plays by the rules, I think government has an obligation to leave them alone. The long range development plans for that area include an extension of Kings Blvd and various residential and light commercial areas. A church, set on a big, uncrowded chunk of land seems pretty inoffensive.
Corvallis is certainly a special, unique environment where an appreciation for green spaces and livability has been protected. I’m just concerned that it not become so unrealistically park-like and elitist in its approach that it becomes nothing but an elaborate haven for college professors, white collar geeks, and retirees. A healthy economy and tax base needs a balance of working class people who can afford to live within the community.
btw... Merry Christmas and enjoy the break.
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Michael Smith, at 7:42 PM
Rather than building more giant houses, I'd like to see more affordable options built. Townhouses, smaller houses... if you want the working class living here, it doesn't do any good to continue building houses the average locals can't afford.
The church won't wreck the habitat *now* but their future plans include developing over protected habitat. I would have fewer problems with the church's plans if they built next to Home Depot. ;) I just don't understand their desire to ruin a pristine area.
And Merry Christmas back atcha!
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Corvallist, at 10:48 PM
One point of clarification -- the church property is not in the City of Corvallis, but rather in the Corvallis Urban Growth Boundary, under Benton County government jurisdiction.
This thread indicates the extent of opposition to this development. The recent Corvallis G-T article regarding this issue gave the impression that the development is a "done deal" because it is an outright use per Benton County Development Code. Not so -- nothing in this world is for certain (death and taxes excluded). There are avenues for public input: you can contact Greg Verret at the Benton County Community Development Dept. and express your concerns, and state your vision for responsible development. You can contact your Benton County Commissioners and do the same. And please continue to stay informed on this site and the Friends of Chip Ross Park blog.
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Friends of Chip Ross Park, at 11:06 AM
I agree with Michael. While I love Corvallis, I just put in an offer on a house in Albany because there is nothing affordable in this town.
The property was privately-owned and up for sale. If the citizens of the city wanted to keep things from being built there, then it ought to have purchased by the city for an addition to the park. Now that it has been purchased, it's their own business what they do with it as long as they follow the city's rules.
While I've never attended Calvary Chapel, I know people who drive from surrounding communities like Albany, Lebanon and Sweet Home because they love this church. It is a member of a California-based denomination, so it's true that some money from this project may be coming from "outside of Corvallis." What's wrong with that?
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Jen Rouse, at 7:25 AM
I'm having to leave Corvallis due to lack of affordable housing here. I'm being driven out because I'm poor, is the long and short of it.
Over thirty years I've lived in Corvallis and I have to leave now that I've been evicted. I am not happy about leaving the place I've lived most of my life just because there is no affordable housing in Corvallis.
Yes, Mr. Smith, the problem I had with the development is its use as a megachurch. I will admit that, Mr. Smith, and yet, I can choose to go or not to go, to such a spectacle.
The spectacle that affects me most in town are the football games. On such days, I can't move in or out of my place because of traffic. I've cursed that spectacle, too, and finally decided I may as well try to profit off it, by picking up and returning the thousands of empty beer cans and bottles left behind by the drunk fans. I used that money to pay for gas. Let the carnage continue, because at least I get gas for my car off the drunks.
If we as citizens of Corvallis, although I can't say that much longer, since I'm being driven out, yes driven out because I"m poor, wanted that land, private property, used otherwise, we'd need to buy it.
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Strayer, at 8:30 AM
To me it sound like we would condem them if they steamroll every tree ruining the land, and if they didn't build enough we would condem them for wasting it. Did any of you know chip ross park even exsisted before this. I sure didn't. I think its great the land is being put to use. Let us build the church its better then a prison.
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Anonymous, at 10:36 PM
Well... yeah, anonymous, I hike there on a regular basis. Just because you prefer to sit on your couch watching Wife Swap doesn't man the rest of us aren't out there exploring. :P
As far as church vs. prison... I'd rather spend a couple hours in prison than a couple hours at Calvary Chapel. No joke.
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Corvallist, at 10:55 AM
Has anyone seen what an amazing job the church has done? They are taking great care to preserve as much nature as possible. It has very much a park like feel. When totally completed it will be a beautiful site and where many families in this community will spend time enjoying God's creation and time together.
A lot has been said here that is not true because they do not understand the whole story. The best thing is to know the facts.
Just because someone does not like church does not change the law. They do have the rights to build a building on the land they purchases. They are completely going by the law. Did you know that for over 13 years the church simply rented places like schools and the senior center to meet in? Many people love that church and what it does for the people of this valley. I am one of them. You are all welcome to come.
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Edify Daily, at 5:05 PM
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