Valencia Hills Community Church

Valencia Hills is Growing!

What’s this I hear about VHCC buying some property?

You heard correctly. VHCC has opened escrow on a 35-acre parcel of land adjacent to the Tesoro del Valle neighborhood at the north edge of Valencia, not far from the intersection of McBean Parkway and Copperhill Drive. The purchase price of the property is $2 million, which by all accounts is a bargain in the Santa Clarita Valley. The location is ideal – about 3 miles from our current meeting place at Valencia High School.

How will we use 35 acres?

The options are many. It may be useful to consider some comparisons: Valencia High School sits on 41 acres including all of the parking and athletic fields. Grace Baptist Church owns 40 acres of land, but they are only using 9 of those acres for their entire facility. Our land is very hilly. Depending on several variables, the actual buildable portion of the land may be somewhat less than 35 acres.

Pastor Mike’s vision has been for a facility covering about 25 acres, but we do not plan to develop the entire property right away. The wise course is to develop only what we need initially and later to examine what our needs are for the future. Another reason to start with a small project is that the permitting process can be easier if the initial development is small. Our initial plan is to construct a multi-purpose building with seating for around 1,000 people, a Children’s Ministry building and sufficient parking. We’ve made no firm plans beyond that. We pray that God will direct our efforts each step of the way.

How long until we move in?

Our best estimate is that if all continues to progress well we could move into our new sanctuary in less than three years. Escrow on the land should close around December 2007 or January 2008. Obtaining the necessary permits to build our new sanctuary on the land could take as long as two years. During that time, we will be working with the architects and engineers to develop the plans. Once a permit to build is obtained, then construction could be completed in as little as 10 months.

Does VHCC have plans for a school on the site?

Our plan with this property is to meet the needs of the Santa Clarita Valley. A school (preschool or primary school) may be part of that plan. We will continue to research the needs of the community and the feasibility of operating a school from the site. Our current plan calls for construction of a sanctuary and children’s ministry classrooms. From a practical standpoint, the classrooms could easily serve a dual role as preschool classrooms during the week. A final decision has not been made.

What is our relationship with Intertex and how did that relationship come about?

Intertex General Contractors is a Valencia-based builder with extensive experience developing commercial real estate in the Santa Clarita Valley. We have entered into a verbal agreement with them to assist us with the due diligence necessary to begin developing the property. Their assistance through this phase is provided at no up-front cost to VHCC.

Intertex was highly recommended to us by the real estate professionals that brought us to the land. Based on the trust we have developed in our real estate partners, their recommendation is important. Other facts further helped us decide to work with them: They are local, based in Valencia. They have developed and are developing many projects throughout the valley. They successfully obtained a conditional use permit for another church to build right in the heart of Valencia – a much harder proposition than we face.

Our early dealings with Intertex have shown them to conduct business professionally and with integrity. When the time comes to select firms for the construction work, Intertex will obtain bids from three contractors for each discipline. Church members in the construction industry are welcome to submit bids at that time. During this early, advisory phase, as well as throughout construction, we will have a team of VHCC members with construction experience overseeing the process to be sure that the best interests of VHCC are protected.

Should we meet with SunCal [the developers of Tesoro del Valle and the land surrounding our property]to discuss how best to work together?

We have introduced ourselves to SunCal, and they have been very friendly. Representatives of SunCal have expressed happiness that a church will be developing the land.

What is planned for the empty land surrounding our property?

The land surrounding our property is owned by SunCal Companies ( www.suncal.com ), the developers of the Tesoro del Valle neighborhood as well as the North Lake development in Castaic. The land to the east of us is slated for 45 equestrian homes on one-acre lots. They also have plans for home sites extending to the north along Avenida Rancho Tesoro.

Where’s the nearest earthquake fault?

Southern California is one of the most seismically active areas in the world. Most maps show as many fault lines as freeways. The two most significant faults to our property may be the San Andreas Fault Zone and the San Gabriel Fault Zone. The nearest point of the San Andreas Fault is about 25 miles from the property. The San Gabriel Fault Zone runs within a couple of miles of the property. Either of these faults, or some other fault, could be the source of an earthquake causing strong shaking at our property. Distance from a fault is often less important than the composition of the ground between you and the epicenter in determining the shaking you feel. Rest assured, qualified engineers will be examining all of the factors that determine the earthquake exposure at our site, and the building will be designed using the best available standards for earthquake protection.

How is the financing arranged?

Some time ago, we were put in touch with an investment firm that specializes in providing funding for church development projects. Based on the economics of our church as it stands today, we have been pre-approved for more than enough to cover the cost of the land and grading. The purchase price for the land is $2 million. The early estimates on the land grading necessary for our initial development are around $2 million. We placed a $500,000 down payment from our building fund and will finance the remaining $1.5 million. The terms of the loan have not yet been set, but the interest rate will probably be in the mid-to-high 7% range.

Will we review the state of the building campaign during a Sunday service?

Our building finance campaign is a three-year plan, and we are a little less than two years into it. Since we have taken this first major step forward, it is a good time to see where we are and where we still need to go. Sometime in the late summer of 2007, Pastor Mike plans to address the building campaign as part of a Sunday service. We will continue the initial three-year campaign through to its conclusion. A follow-up campaign will probably be necessary to raise the funds needed to pay off the loan for the land acquisition and provide for the development.

What can we as members of VHCC do to help?

We could never accomplish this task using only our own skills, ideas and motivations, but with God, all things are possible. With that in mind, every member of VHCC can contribute to our success. Here are a few ways you can participate:

• Keep your focus on Jesus. God wants all of us to know Him, love Him, and serve Him. If we all concentrate on deepening our relationship with Jesus Christ, everything else will take care of itself and we’ll find ourselves in our new building before we realize it.
• Ask questions. The Staff and Administrative Team don’t have all the answers, but more important, we don’t have all the questions either. Your question may cause us to address an issue we might have otherwise overlooked.
• Share your knowledge with us. We know of several VHCC members with expertise in real estate, finance, and construction. You may have knowledge that would be very helpful to the success of this project. Please let us know if you would like to participate.
• Pray. Pray for our success. Pray that our church would bless the Santa Clarita Valley. Pray that this project will not distract us from our primary goal of reaching the lost. Pray for knowledge, wisdom and insight throughout the process. Finally, pray for favor with: Intertex, SunCal, the County of Los Angeles, the City of Santa Clarita, and the neighborhood of Tesoro del Valle.
• Give faithfully. If you have made a commitment to the building fund – follow through. If you are not currently giving to the ministry of our church, prayerfully consider what God would prompt you to give of your financial resources.

I have more questions. Who do I ask?

The Administrative Team (Rick Edwards, Phil Fish, J.P. Hadjiandreou, and Mark Zittel) are overseeing the land acquisition and construction process to keep the pastors free to be pastors. If you have questions, feel free to ask one of the team on a Sunday morning. Phil is stationed behind the sound board nearly every Sunday at both services, so he should be easy to find. If you can’t wait until Sunday morning, please contact Phil by e-mail at pfish@mac.com.