The latest item--an application for a church to move into an industrial zone off Arques Avenue--was first addressed by the council on Nov. 22, but the six-person group--Councilwoman Melinda Hamilton was absent--deadlocked on the item twice, so it was continued to the council's Dec. 13 meeting.

In a quick hearing, the new council upheld the planning commission's permit denial, preventing the church from moving into the industrial space.

The Alliance Christian Church, currently holding services in a San Jose industrial area, wanted to move into the 965 E. Arques Ave. building to accommodate hold all its parishioners, many of them families with children or elderly.

Although the lot, first developed in 1975, has been vacant for five years, its industrial zoning and location in a major industrial and commercial area made it an incompatible location for a recreational facility such as the church.

Zoning is intended to protect business owners and residents from unintentionally impacting each other.

One of the largest concerns is protecting "sensitive receptors," including children and the elderly, from the noise, chemicals and high traffic that can come with industrial uses.

In addition, several council members and residents who spoke said they were concerned that Sunnyvale could be potentially giving up key industrial space to a tenant who does not generate revenue for the city.

"If the church comes in, industry can't come back," said resident Harriet Rowe. "Holding on to this building is like an insurance policy."

The plan was to divide up the 81,400 square-foot space into 30,040 square feet for the church, with the rest used for offices or research and development.

Because the council was concerned with permanently losing the space, it discussed granting the appeal with a 3-year permit. Vice Mayor Otto Lee said that since the space has stood empty for so long, any use, even a temporary one, would be a benefit to Sunnyvale.

"Given the fact that we're only talking about three years, I urge us to give this a try," Lee said, pointing out that that council had to look at more than just zoning issues when making a decision. "I'd rather have one bird in hand than three birds in the bush," Lee said.

New Councilman Chris Moylan--who was on the planning commission when it unanimously denied the application--said that a temporary use is not the key to getting the space used. He said the city should focus its energy on redeveloping the site into Class A office space to tempt major corporate residents.