Key Issues
From the start of our planning, Sufism Reoriented has addressed a range of issues that naturally arise in building projects. Among them are:
- Variances Our building design meets all County code requirements. No variances are needed.
- Size To harmonize our needs with those of the neighborhood, we placed two-thirds of the building under ground, where it will not be seen. The smaller visible sanctuary will have a height consistent with nearby homes and apartment houses. From the ground, the average height of the sanctuary is 17½ feet, and the highest point of the central sloping dome is 33½ feet. This is within the County’s height limit.
- Design Urban planners in America recognize that churches are not residences. They are houses of worship, and their design typically reflects the central principles and beliefs of their faith communities. Our new church incorporates our own faith symbols. In addition, the visible sanctuary will be surrounded by greenery and gardens that will be open to all to enjoy.
- Visibility With few exceptions, the new church will be veiled from passersby by greenery. Most of the building will be under ground, and the landscape design calls for the building to be completely screened from view within six years and mostly screened in three. A person walking or driving by will see only a partial view from directly opposite the entrance and from a fire-access entrance on Boulevard Way.
- Noise Placing two-thirds of the building under ground will eliminate the noise of daily activity. Placing all the mechanical equipment either underground or in a custom structure will dampen sound.
- Lighting Only soft landscape lighting sufficient for security and gentle illumination on the domes and walls of the church are planned. Once the lighting is installed, if any part of it causes a disturbance for a neighbor, we will work toward finding a satisfactory solution, even eliminating that lighting, if needed.
- Traffic and Parking Traffic will not increase since our membership is stable and we are moving only one block to the west. The number of cars driving to our current church for regular services has decreased since 2007 thanks to our traffic-management plan. The number of cars driving to our current church since we implemented the plan has always been lower than the seventy-four parking spaces that will exist at our new sanctuary. The continuation of the plan as a formal Traffic-Demand Management Plan (TDMP) will be a condition of our Land Use Permit.
- Traffic Safety Our plans call for improving sightlines at the Boulevard Way–Kinney Drive intersection near the entrance to the sanctuary. We will work with the County to ensure that our members and neighbors are able to approach and depart from the entranceway safely.
- Energy Efficiency Designing a totally new building has allowed us to utilize the latest "green" technologies. An innovative heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system fairly new to America will be very quiet and more energy efficient than traditional HVAC systems. Energy-efficient electrical equipment, motors, and lighting will be used wherever practicable. Eighty percent of the hot water in the building will be delivered via tankless heaters.