Some notes on church-related construction in Yorba Linda:
— The public is invited to tour the recently completed Yorba Linda California Temple, serving some 21,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the intersection of Bastanchury Road and Osmond Street (17130 Bastanchury Road).
The all-age tours are scheduled April 30 through May 23, will be available from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays and from 9 a.m. through 8 p.m. Saturdays, except before 2 p.m. on May 2.
The 30,000-square-foot temple on 5.4 acres with 172 parking spaces replaces a meeting house and baseball diamond at the site and is the ninth temple in California, fifth in Southern California and second in Orange County after Newport Beach, dedicated in 2005.
The city Planning Commission approved construction on a 4-1 vote in May 2022, with a condition that reduced the height of the proposed steeple. Groundbreaking was held in June 2022.
The walking tours are free and last about 30 minutes. Reservations are recommended because of limited parking. Temple dedication is scheduled for June 7, after which only church members are allowed inside the facility. Temple telephone is 714-798-2606.
— At Messiah Lutheran Church on the northwest corner of Yorba Linda Boulevard and Liverpool Street, Olson Urban Housing will build 40 three-story condominium units on 1.9 acres on the south parking lot of the church’s 6.2-acre property.
The project is in residential urban and congregational land overlay zones. The 40 units include 22 detached units and 18 attached units, and include four each of one- and two-bedroom units, 18 three-bedroom units and 14 four-bedroom units, ranging from 976 square feet to 2,010 square feet.
Eight units will be set aside for moderate-income-restricted households, making the project eligible for waivers or reductions of development standards that would otherwise prevent the project from being built at the permitted density.
The project proposed waivers for building setbacks, building separation, landscaping and open space requirements. Planning Commission approval was 5-0 with conditions.
Other recent Olson projects: Vista Walk and Portola Walk in La Habra and Jasmine Walk in Buena Park, and, in 2006, the Presidential Walk homes south of the post office in Yorba Linda.
The 20-foot-high, stainless steel “Love God, Love One Another” cross fronting Yorba Linda Boulevard will be moved to a central campus location in a new Plaza of the Cross. The cross, created by artist David Price, was dedicated 15 years ago.
— Two churches have projects in planning stages: The Church in Yorba Linda for a two-story, 14,800-square-foot sanctuary, dining hall and classrooms at the northeast corner of Imperial Highway and Los Angeles Street, and the Yorba Linda Friends Church for a two-story, 30,000-square-foot building with seven classrooms and multi-purpose room at 5091 Mountain View Ave.
Jim Drummond is a longtime Yorba Linda resident. He regularly gives his take on local issues. Send e-mail to jimdrummond@hotmail.com.