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It was such a secret that it took me less than a minute to find this...

New church planned for Mulholland in rural Agoura

By John Loesing
Acorn Staff Writer

January 17, 2002

A Catholic group known as the Holy Family Chapel wants to build a new church in rural Agoura.

If approved by the Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning, the 9,310 square-foot, two-story church would be constructed at 30188 W. Mulholland Highway, between Sierra Creek and Kanan roads.

Also located on the 17-acre site in the scenic Santa Monica hills is a smaller, 30-year-old church currently undergoing renovation.

Although not affiliated with the Vatican, Holy Family Chapel observes traditional Catholic doctrine, practices and customs. Sunday mass is conducted in Latin.

The A.P. Reilly Foundation, a private organization, is funding the project. The estimated costs of the new church and renovation of the older one weren’t available.

"Some people were curious as to what the A.P. Reilly Foundation was, what kind of church it was. There was some confusion about that," said Patricia Lin, a Los Angeles County staff planner who attended a Dec. 12 public hearing on the project.

The area is zoned residential, but churches are allowed if they get a conditional use permit.

Planning commissioners tabled their decision to issue a permit until Feb. 13 and directed the foundation to clarify the church’s operations and respond to community questions.

A community meeting on the project is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at Seminole Park on Mulholland Highway.

The parish serves Conejo Valley, West San Fernando Valley and Malibu and currently has 70 parishioners.

The new building includes a 256-seat sanctuary and a 40-seat chapel. The existing church has a 170-seat assembly area that will be used for discussion groups.

"Their plan is not to have a huge church there. However, neighbors are concerned it will grow because the church is built on such a site where it can grow to a few hundred people," Lin said.

Tim Riley, a land-use consultant for A.P. Reilly, doubts that will happen.

"They expect some growth but not explosive growth because it’s kind of a specialized area of the Catholic belief," Riley said.

In addition to Mass on Sundays, the church will observe the six Holy Days of Obligation. It also expects about a dozen special events during the calendar year such as weddings, funerals, picnics, a St. Patrick’s Day celebration and a youth day.

Architects and landscape designers hope to give the buildings and the grounds the look of a California mission. Documents reportedly indicate that Spanish missionaries actually visited the site at the time they were founding their missions.

The church has three full-time employees; two of them live in a caretaker’s residence on the site.