Hindu facility proposed for former office building in Rancho Bernardo

The initial review process has begun for a Hindu religious facility in Rancho Bernardo that, if all stays on track, could open by mid-2027.

The BAPS San Diego congregation purchased the former office building at 16980 Via Tazon in RB in mid-2025, said architect Keyur Maru, owner of SDA Creative Studio, who is speaking on behalf of the congregation.

The 122,119-square-foot lot has a 34,201 square-foot office building in the business park site. Surrounding the building along Via Tazon are The Cork and Craft restaurant, retail spaces, business offices and medical offices.

BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) “is a spiritual, volunteer-driven fellowship dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering the Hindu values of faith, service and global harmony,” according to Maru, who is a member of a BAPS congregation in Los Angeles.

The Rancho Bernardo Planning Board’s Development Review Committee got its first look at the project on Jan. 6. While listed as a voting item on the agenda, the step prior to being presented to the full board, members unanimously decided to table their vote until additional information is provided to both it and the city.

“We tabled the vote as the project is in the early stages of review within the City’s review process,” said DRC Chair Ben Wier. “The cycle report asked (the applicant) to resubmit or add more information on certain topics. To name a few: more detailed drawing on the overall project and a landscaping detail.

“Overall we felt it was too early to tenure a vote with the re-submittals pending,” Wier said. “We’re being cautious not (to) issue a vote too early in the process and want to make sure that we can issue an educated vote to support both the residents of RB and the project owner.”

Maru said the applicant will try to submit answers to the questions by February and if all stays on track the project could return to the RB Planning Board for a vote this spring.

All building renovations will be interior, though as part of the conditional use permit process the RB Development Review Committee and city officials have said they would like some exterior improvements made to the site that has been vacant for a while.

“They want us to improve the sidewalk, landscaping … want the parking lot resurfaced, EV (electric vehicle) chargers and bringing it up to current code with upgrades on the site,” Maru said.

Following issuance of the conditional use permit by the city, interior drawings will be created and submitted to city officials for review, a process that could take around six months.

“If all goes well, by the end of the year we could start construction and it can open by early next year … in quarter one or two,” Maru said.

According to materials Maru presented, BAPS is one of the smallest sects of Hinduism. The BAPS chapter in San Diego has around 40 to 45 families.

Maru told the Rancho Bernardo News Journal on Monday that the congregation has been renting facilities in San Diego for around 20 years and is currently meeting in a 6,000 square-foot space connected to a grocery store on Black Mountain Road in the Miramar area.

The current congregation, which has 90 adults and 60 youths, decided to look for a permanent location, Manu said.

“It has grown with a couple families every year, so even if in 20 years it doubles there will be more than enough space as it (the RB site) has 110 parking spots,” he said.

Most of the congregation lives in Rancho Bernardo and the North County area, within a 50-mile radius, he said.

Renovating the Via Tazon building for religious assembly is allowed with a conditional use permit, according to the presented materials.

The interior work would consist of constructing spaces for a worship/prayer room where idols are displayed, an assembly hall for services, classrooms for youth activities, a dining hall and kitchen, a watchkeeper quarter (security office since a guard will be on site 24/7), staff offices, study rooms, storage, lobby and restrooms, according to Maru.

The proposal calls for the assembly hall to be 4,200 square feet, which could hold 280 occupants. The site exceeds the minimum 70 parking spaces required, according to the plans.

Maru said most activity at the site would occur in the late afternoon and early evening on Sundays, since assembly services for adults and youth classes are held from 4 to 6 p.m., followed by a dinner that goes until 8 p.m.

Throughout the week, there will be minimal activity, mostly congregation members stopping by the worship/prayer room for perhaps 10 to 15 minutes, Maru said.

According to the presentation, Monday through Saturday prayer rituals are held from 7 to 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to noon and 7 to 7:30 p.m.

Maru said rather than on-site staff, most daily work will be done by volunteers who live in the area.