From littering to loitering, Alison Wolf has seen it all on the vacant plot of land, off College Avenue right behind her Del Cerro home. “Homeless encampments, right against our backyard fence. He had a Bunsen burner, a fire pit, and it was during last fire season right after the Palisades Fi re,” Wolf said. That’s why Wolf is in favor of the “All Peoples Church” plan to build their 50,000 square foot “Light Project,” church on the land.  Last week, a superior court Judge ruled in favor of the megachurch project, much to the dismay of Larry Dawson. “It’s reckless and not in the community interest,” said Dawson. Dawson supports the community group “Save Del Cerro.” The organization filed suit earlier this year to block the church development. The suit claimed the project’s environmental review was inadequate and it would add to traffic problems. Dawson lives on the street behind the proposed site. He sees the church creating another area similar to  Mission Valley. “You know where the shopping center is and how congested that is? I think this is just gonna be another choke point,” said Dawson. In the judge’s ruling it notes, “the design incorporates both traffic signal and median improvements,” to maintain traffic flow. It also says the project will have a “less than significant” impact on traffic, with an average of 280-car trips on weekday and 1,976 on Sundays. Pastor Stephen Gully with All Peoples Church issued a statement saying: “The court recognized that all potential impacts of the project were thoroughly vetted by city staff. Our church appreciates the trial court’s careful review of the evidence and we’re ready to move forward with our new home.” But the congregation’s exodus to a new home may be delayed, as Save Del Cerro says they’ll appeal to a higher court power. Their online fundraiser says they only need to raise $15,000 more to do so. This has been a long legal battle. The city initially rejected the church project in 2024, but then changed its tune after the church sued claiming religious discrimination. ...read more read less