ASPEN PARK —Neighbors of a Conifer-area Buddhist monastery are concerned about the noise, traffic and parking issues that may come from the monastery’s planned expansion.

The Compassionate Dharma Cloud Monastery at 8485 U.S. 285 near Aspen Park received approval July 8 from the Jefferson County board of county commissioners to rezone from an agriculture to development classification to build a facility for worship and overnight retreats.

The rezoning allows for overnight stays four times a year for up to five days at a time, and two outdoor events a year.

Rosemary DeLisa lives across the highway from the monastery and is one of the residents with concerns.

“We’re not too happy with the decision as it is,” she said. “The biggest issue that we see is the traffic.”

The rezoning case summary says that transportation officials with the county and the Colorado Department of Transportation did not have concerns about increased traffic. The rezoning is not expected cause an increase over the current estimated 40-80 daily trips, for which the monastery has a permit; shuttles are used for large events, it says.

Jefferson County planner Alan Tiefenbach was the case manager of the request and said there was a pre-existing concern among the public about the sound amplification used at the monastery, and more recently, opposition against the large building.

He said the point of the rezoning was not to accommodate increased attendance or additional events.

“The point was to allow larger building and overnight stays,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like there’s going to be a major expansion in already-occurring activities.”

Antonio Phan, also known by his Buddhist name Thay Tinh Man, is the monastery’s abbott. The monastery has been at its location — an old livestock farm — for seven years. He said the two larger events the monastery hosts each summer in June and August attract 200-300 people, many who are not practicing Buddhists but come to see the professional singers.

Phan said the new facility’s sleeping quarters will help reduce traffic since members will stay overnight instead of going home and returning the next day. It also will help scale back the noise, he said, as large events currently held outside can move inside.

The official plans for the roughly 11,000-square-foot, two-story facility have not been drawn up yet. Like much of the infrastructure on the property now, Phan said the building’s design and construction will happen with the hands-on help of member volunteers, hopefully over the next couple of years.

Phan said his neighbors’ concerns are valid and he has tried to listen to and compromise with them.

“I think they are raising their voice so I can hear them and reason with them and listen to them,” he said. “We compromise and negotiate what we can do and what we cannot do so we can live peacefully as a community.”

Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com