“That’s the character of Walnut,” she said. Mayor Pro Tem Mary Su, whose family is Buddhist, said the community had always embraced the worship center and was resistant only to expansion. Others in the neighborhood overwhelmingly opposed the temple, pointing out that the nearby churches, school and park already generate traffic that clogs Marcon Drive. “I would reject anything that has to do with traffic coming in because we want to keep it as quiet as possible.” “A temple in your backyard? How would you feel?” said Lu, 36, who lives in the same neighborhood as the proposed Zen center. Ivy Kuan, 59, said a faction of Christians circulated petitions making dramatic claims about tour buses and incessant noise.īut Mike Lu, a Buddhist who attends a temple in Baldwin Park, said it was never a matter of religious discrimination. “I can’t call it hate, but I got a very bad feeling and was uncomfortable.” “I believe the opponents just didn’t want Buddhism in the city, because their reasons against the monastery weren’t very strong,” said Gary He, 59, who supported the center. To some, it was a moment when prejudice reared its head in a town that was supposed to be better than that. When it finally came up for a public hearing in 2007, residents were divided and crammed into City Hall. The process dragged on for years, with traffic studies, revisions and consultations with city officials. In 2001, the center began making plans to turn its three-bedroom home into a 16,000-square-foot monastery, including a 79-car parking lot on its 2.19-acre lot.
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