Escondido zoning administrator approves Templo Pentecostes La Hermosa expansion at Washington Square

Veronica Comronas, the city of Escondido’s acting zoning administrator and assistant director of development services, approved a minor conditional use permit on April 14 allowing Templo Pentecostes La Hermosa to expand its existing church into an adjacent suite at Washington Square, 1131 East Washington Avenue.

The application (PL25-0179) was presented by Jesus Huerta, associate planner, who said the proposal would add Suite H (about 1,190 square feet) to the church’s current Suites G and F (about 792 square feet), producing roughly 2,982 square feet of space. Huerta said the plan dedicates 379 square feet for a gathering area and the remainder for offices, storage and restrooms, and described the operational plan as services on Sundays (5–7 p.m., about 75 people), Tuesdays (7–9 p.m., about 77 people) and Fridays (7–9 p.m., about 83 people), with up to six staff on site.

"The applicant is proposing a conditional use permit to expand the existing church into Suite H, which is approximately 1,190 square feet," Huerta said during his presentation. Staff concluded the shopping center has excess parking capacity for the mix of uses, that the church’s hours would largely fall outside neighboring business hours, and recommended approval via Resolution No. 2026-04 with conditions to ensure compliance with the zoning code.

Applicant representative Richard Martin Miller said the church concurred with staff’s recommendation but asked the zoning administrator to amend Condition A2 concerning permit expiration. "We request that the zoning administrator amend that to say either that there is no expiration date or that the applicant can submit a letter, a request to the city pursuant to municipal code and zoning ordinance, requesting an extension of x number of years," Miller said.

Comronas responded that Condition A2 is a standard city-attorney-drafted provision and summarized the city’s timeline: permits that are not associated with a tentative map or planned development must have required building permits issued within two years (24 months) to enact the CUP; once required building permits are issued and finaled, the CUP is considered enacted and runs with the land, but a use discontinued for six months or more becomes void. "You have two years to enact your permit," Comronas said, citing the zoning code (Article 61, Division 1, Conditional Use Permits).

Miller said he would provide suggested wording for staff and the city attorney to review. Comronas also clarified that the CUP does not authorize intensification beyond the operational plan and that the director of development services may approve minor modifications in substantial conformity (Condition A4[c]); larger increases in services or congregation size would require returning for additional review.

Comronas also noted that a perspective drawing in the plan set showing more than 200 seats is not to scale and does not dictate permitted occupancy. She said the operational maximums provided by the applicant (maximum cited 83 congregants at a time) were used to calculate traffic and parking demand; any future increases would require an amended permit and additional review of parking and circulation.

With no public comments received on the item, Comronas said she had reviewed the staff report, findings, resolution and proposed plans, and "I will go ahead and move to approve the minor conditional use permit, for the religious facility, PL 250179, located at 1131 East Washington Avenue." The zoning administrator adjourned the meeting at 2:22 p.m.

Staff and the applicant were asked to work with the city attorney on any proposed edits to the condition wording; the approval was made subject to the conditions in the staff report.