Calvary Chapel's Mega Church and School

After the passage of Ordinance 348.4713, on May 10, 2011, Pastor Clark Van Wick filed Plot Plan 24883, which seeks to build a large church, daycare and preschool through 8th grade on vineyard property recently acquired.

The Project

The project proposed is incompatible with the intent of the CV Zone (i.e. protection of agriculture and fostering a viable wine making atmosphere) on two basic grounds:

  1. The Church is proposing to build a day care center, preschool through 8th grade school because such a use is incompatible with agricultural activities and vineyards and agricultural users would be prohibited under State and Federal law from applying certain pesticides, fumigants, herbicides within a 1/4 mile of the school.  One vineyard management company has already stated that his company would refuse to care for or tend vineyards within the 1/4 zone.
  2. Rather than simply expanding its existing building, the Church is planning to and has destroyed the vineyard it recently purchased and intends to grade the hill by shaving 20 feet off the top.  The church's proposed plans will not comply with 75% acre planted requirements imposed under the CV Zone.

Destruction of Vineyard Begins

In early April 2011, shortly after filing its Plot Plan application, the Church began illegally (i.e. without a grading permit) removing the decades old vineyard overlooked by Falkner Winery and its Pinnacle Restaurant.

Photo of Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship's tractor removing vineyard

In addition to removal of vines, Calvary Chapel has stopped watering and caring for the remaining vines on the  vineyard.  

Taking Action

You can view the current status of the Church's Plot Plan Application here:

The Plot Plan Applicaton has been assigned to Kinika Hesterly - Urban Regional Planner IV, with the County.  To send a letter in opposition to this project, you can write to:

Kinika Hesterly, Regional Planner
Riverside Co. Planning Department
P.O. Box 1409
Riverside, CA 92502-1409

Reference: PP 24883

Our organization is watching this project and will provide additional updates on this page when they become available.

Opposition to Project - Not Church 

To be clear, Protect Wine Country is not opposed to the Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship, its teachings or doctrine.  We support the church's reasonable expansion of its existing sanctuary provided it complies with the 75% vineyard requirement and eliminates the proposed school from its plans.

Our opposition is to the proposed project because of the serious and unmitigated negative impacts.