Saratoga News
News
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Saratoga's Nikola Miljevich is not happy with the design plans for a new Orthodox Christian church to be built on property his family has donated on Allendale Avenue.
Miljevich opposes design plans for new church
By Jason Sweeney
The word "Byzantine" can be used to refer to the arches, domes and rich use of gold in architecture developed in medieval Byzantium. The word also means intricate, convoluted and characterized by intrigue.
Both senses of the word could be used to describe designs for a new Orthodox Christian church on Allendale Avenue.
Nikola Miljevich, a member of a family with deep roots in Saratoga, is not happy with plans for a new church building on property his family donated to the St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church in 1961. "What they're trying to do here is squeeze a marshmallow onto a matchbox," Miljevich said. "If this thing doesn't go right, I'm going to take it to court and I'm going to win."
The design process for a new church on the St. Michael's property has been complicated by schisms in the Serbian Orthodox Church, by neighbors opposed to the design, by changes in architects and by Miljevich's disapproval.
Ever since the 3.5-acre parcel was donated to the parish, its parishioners have dreamed of building a beautiful Orthodox Christian church there. But for the last 45 years, the parish has used a classroom building for its church services and a social hall for community gatherings.
Power struggles in the 1960s within the Serbian Orthodox Church divided local Serbian Christians into different parishes in Santa Clara County. When the divisions were resolved in 1992, parishioners from St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Cupertino returned to St. Michael's. Money from the sale of St. Sava had the newly reunited parishioners discussing plans to build a new church for Saratoga. Those plans incorporated design tenets common to Orthodox Christian churches, such as vertical architecture, domes and a bell tower.
In November 2003, the church applied to the city of Saratoga for a conditional-use permit and a design review. Opposition from neighbors sent the design back to the drawing board.
Neighbors were concerned the architecture of the proposed design was not consistent with the existing community. They were concerned with the church's size, traffic congestion, noise from the bell tower and a belief the church would be too close to the street.
The church leadership changed architects and attempted to address the concerns of the neighbors. At a study session on June 14, the Saratoga Planning Commission reviewed a revised design and received input from the church, from neighbors and from city staff.
"The meeting went well," said John Ivancovich, president of the church's board of directors. "We came away from it with a very positive feeling. Saratoga is a beautiful town, and it's one of the reasons we like being here. We want to do everything we can to keep it a beautiful town and do our part to enhance it as best we can. We're doing that in the final design that we have submitted to the planning commission and in the way that we relate to our neighbors and the rest of the community."
Miljevich, 81, who lives a short distance from St. Michael's on Miljevich Drive, remains unconvinced. Miljevich has spent his life in Saratoga, but has a colorful past, which includes rescuing downed American pilots in World War II and hunting polar bears in Alaska. His great-uncle moved to Saratoga from Yugoslavia in the 1880s. Much of the neighborhood surrounding Miljevich's home was once apricot and prune orchards owned by the Miljevich family.
Although he no longer attends St. Michael's, Miljevich follows developments at the church closely. He is unhappy with the parish leadership and with its plans for a new church on the property once owned by his family. "We donated that property 45 years ago to build a church. It's still not built. I want to see that church built before I die."
He said the design plan proposed by Ivancovich and parish priest Slobodan Jovic is all wrong. "I'm trying to prevent a disaster from happening. They should conform to the neighbors. Don't shove the church down the neighbors' throats. Move it to the back of the property. The priest and Ivancovich want to show it off. You don't build a church to show it off. You build it to pray. I want to get together and debate this and thrash things out. Let's get this show on the road."
Miljevich believes too much money has been spent trying to get a design approved.
"Various members of the Miljevich family have been parishioners over the decades," Ivancovich said. "They donated money to buy the property on which we have our church. Since that time, many other people have contributed also. Through the years, many people have contributed their time, their talents, as well as their treasures to our local church. As Christians, we give as we can. We don't expect anything in return.
"Mr. Miljevich is welcome to come and participate in the life of the church," Ivancovich added. "Anybody is welcome to come and participate in the life of our church."
With the application for a new church design complete, the St. Michael's parish now waits for the application to go before the planning commission in the next few months. Ivancovich hopes the 45-year wait for a new church at St. Michael's could end as soon as 2008.
