Buddhist Temple Sues California City For Use Permit

In Garden Grove, California, Quan Am Temple, a Buddhist congregation, has sued under the First Amendment and RLUIPA to obtain permission to use a one-story building it bought two years ago as a house of worship. It also wants permission to then build a temple on the site that is zoned for office use. According to today's Los Angeles Times, the congregation has 15 monks and nuns, plus 250 to 600 congregants. The city's Planning Commission and City Council have rejected the congregation's request to use or build on the site for a temple, concerned about noise and traffic. Suing on behalf of the congregation, the ACLU of Southern California argues that the city has routinely allowed non-religious non-profits to locate in commercial areas. The congregation has even offered to voluntarily pay property taxes if it is allowed to build on the site.