Authorities are getting ready to approve the use of a property in San Martin for a Hindu temple that will serve adherents to the religion from all over South County.
Victor Singh of the Vaidica Vidhya Ganapathi Center applied for an extension of an existing use permit to operate the religious institution on the property at 11355 Monterey Road, according to a Santa Clara County staff report.
The property is on the west side of Monterey Road, and currently serves as a golf driving range. The property is next-door to Practice Diamond Batting Cages, whose owner Paul Farmer has also applied for an extension of his property’s use permit.
Both applications were scheduled for consideration at Thursday’s Santa Clara County Planning Commission. Prior to that, the San Martin Planning Advisory Committee agendized the applications for its meeting on Wednesday to solicit input and answer questions from the public and the applicants.
The Hindu center, which is currently located in San Jose, has not proposed any changes to the property, according to Santa Clara County Project Planner Marina Rush. She described the proposed use as “very small (and) innocuous.”
The applicant has proposed using existing structures of 746 square feet and 401 square feet on the property for daily prayer, meditation and yoga, according to a county staff report. No plans are proposed for additions and changes to the structures, parking area, septic system, water storage tank or perimeter fencing.
The Hindu facility also plans to have no more than 10 people in attendance at any given time, with no more than 50 people visiting the 12.7-acre property on any single day, the staff report continues.
If approved, hours of operation will be seven days a week, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., county staff said.
No onsite preparation of food, and no overnight accommodations are proposed.
The driving range will cease operations at the property, the County staff report said.
Next door, Farmer explained that while the batting cage and driving range are two separate properties owned by different owners, they were placed under the same use permit 20 years ago. That permit expired in February, and that’s why he applied for an extension.
Farmer has not proposed any changes to the recreational batting cage facility. The construction of a 2,000-square-foot concessions building is underway at the batting cages, and has already been approved under the original permit.
