Hare Krishna Temple again proposed for north Escondido

A project more than 25 years in the making to build a Hare Krishna temple and 10 homes on a nearly 25-acre site in northern Escondido is heading to the City Council this month.

A group tied with the international Hare Krishna movement says its plans for the site will be a welcome addition for the local Hindu community; however, some nearby residents concerned about safety, traffic and other impacts have organized to oppose the proposal.

The Escondido Planning Commission approved the project 5-1 at its Sept. 25 meeting after more than 80 people spoke or registered their position for the plans. There were speakers both in favor of and opposed to the project at that meeting.

The Opposition

Residents and property owners have been meeting for about six months to organize against the project. They are circulating an online petition and flyers to encourage others to speak against the plan when it comes before the Escondido City Council on Wednesday for a vote on a conditional-use permit.

Their concerns include fire safety, emergency vehicle access, noise, traffic, and the overall character of the neighborhood.

Over the last few years, the group planning the project has completed required environmental impact studies that state the project would have “no impact” or “less than significant impact” on the surrounding neighborhood.

However, Mike Stephenson, who lives on a parcel surrounded by the one owned by the religious group, said he thinks numbers used in those reports are “skewed” and more safety concerns will surface after the temple is built.

“Everyone should have a religious facility, but no one should be forced to carry the liability for that without fire-flow infrastructure and proper emergency vehicle access,” he said. “It’s unbelievable.”

Allen Williams, president of Rocky Point Ranch Homeowners Association and one of the residents organizing the opposition, agreed that the push-back on the project isn’t about religious beliefs but about land use.

“It’s just not in line with the other religious facilities in north Escondido,” he said, adding that the increased traffic and noise would be “tough to stomach.”

Williams said he thinks a traffic light and road improvements are necessary before any development happens on the property.

City staff members met with surrounding residents in May and June to present updates and discuss the concerns. More recently, council members have come to view the property with the concerned homeowners.

The Temple

The project is being proposed on a 24.5-acre site near the intersection of Rincon Avenue and Conway Drive in a rural part of northern Escondido. The project site is primarily vacant except for a single-family home.

It is slated to include an 11,767-square-foot temple and 10 homes along with a farm, cow pasture, flower garden, dining hall, book shop and classrooms. Programs would include Sunday school, Saturday and Sunday evening services, weddings, and festivals. Services are expected to run from 4:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“People are thrilled to have this new temple,” said Dhiru Tantod, who is sponsoring the project for the local branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, also known as ISKCON. “It’s a good project. It’s not going to hurt anybody.”

The closest ISKCON temple is in Pacific Beach, which can be a long drive for some practitioners.

If the project is approved, Tantod said he expects construction to start quickly and take about five years to complete. Once complete, the public will be invited to learn more about the religion or farming, he added.

“We request that all of the neighbors support us so we can work together to have nice and peaceful environments where we can learn together,” he said.

History and Next Steps

ISKCON Escondido originally proposed a center at the site more than 25 years ago. The Escondido City Council approved a conditional-use permit in 2000 for a 32,000-square-foot cultural center at the site after nearly four hours of public testimony. The project was never constructed and the permit expired a few years later.

The proposal the City Council is expected to vote on Wednesday is a scaled-down version of that original project. The size was reduced to lower costs, speed up construction and have less of an impact on the surrounding neighborhood, Tantod said.

If the conditional-use permit is approved by the council, the next steps will be for the developers to submit grading, building and off-site improvement plans to the city for further review. They also will need to complete mitigation measures related to the California Environmental Quality Act before permits tied to specific milestones are issued, a city spokesman said.