DALE CITY, Calif.  Although construction is nearly halfway complete, church leaders are reconsidering a cliff-side building site after tons of nearby earth plunged into the Pacific Ocean during a landslide.
That is fine with neighbors, who have complained that plans for Korean Central Presbyterian Church to build on the cliff would destabilize the site.
"From day one we were against it. It's not safe," said Gin Frankel, whose home faces the project. "If they don't stop, I think we're going to be in big, big trouble."
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the church was located on the cliff-side site until 1998, when the city paid them to relocate so it could use the dirt to repair another cliff that had crumbled nearby, threatening seven homes.
The 600-member church began to rebuild there this summer, after getting city approval.
"Many engineers looked at the land and said it would be safe for 50 years," said the Rev. Eugene Noh. "We were really struck by the size of this landslide. What surprised us most was the proximity of the failure to our site."
The two-story building is scheduled to be completed next summer. The frame of the first story is already up.
"The safety of our congregation is paramount to us. We wouldn't want to build under any circumstances if it was a threat to them," Noh said. "It's in our interest not to destabilize the area. We have as much, if not more, to lose," than other residents.
