Planning Commission approves Southridge Baptist Church project with conditions and amended hours

The Santa Clara County Planning Commission on March 27 approved a concurrent land‑use application for Southridge Baptist Church in unincorporated San Jose, adopting a mitigation monitoring program and conditions of approval after technical clarifications and a narrow, 6–1 vote.

Laura Tran, project planner with the Department of Planning and Development, told commissioners the project is a use permit with architecture and site approval and grading approval for an 8,894‑square‑foot church building and a 12,058‑square‑foot multipurpose building on a 5.84‑acre parcel at Piercy Road and Silicon Valley Road. The project proposes 174 parking spaces (including seven accessible spaces), new septic and drainage facilities, a detention/bio‑retention feature to manage stormwater, and landscaping. Staff's initial operational summary estimated about 50 regular weekday attendees and about 375 people for Sunday services and special events; the applicant also described plans for multiple service times to limit peak arrivals.

Planners determined the project required a mitigated negative declaration under CEQA with mitigation measures for air quality, biology, greenhouse gas…