Planning For New Development
The proposed meditation center project is located on the north part of the nine acre site and encompasses three new buildings:
- The Main Hall, at the center of the three buildings.
- The Meditation Hall, on the south side of the Main Hall.
- The Monks Residence Hall, on the north side of the Main Hall.
These three buildings have a simplified traditional Vietnamese Buddhist design, with surrounding colonnades, terra cotta-colored clay tile roofing, stucco wall finish and an earth-tone stone-veneer base. This, indeed, will very much resemble the vernacular/Spanish style of the surrounding architectures, thus, we believe, perfectly meeting the objectives and requirements of the Bonsall Design Guidelines.
With the existing topography, for accessibility to the buildings and for the slopes of the access road to work, cut and fill will be required. The buildings are, therefore, sited on mid-height pad levels, with required retaining walls on the front and back, resulting in a much lower ridge line as relative to the adjacent property on the east.
With the buildings set back deeply, the lowered ridgeline from grading as discussed above, the low vehicular traffic, and the screening of parking and buildings with lush landscaping, and the quiet operations, any adverse impact of the the proposed project to the surrounding areas, visually and environmentally, is minimized to essentially none.
The practice of mediation is by essence a scrupulous contemplation, an observation of the mind. The operation of the Meditation Center is, therefore, an utmost quiet practice and includes neither noisy activities nor any odorous, hazardous substance production.
The pictures below show the view before and after the new development. Click on the arrow to see the next picture.
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