SAN JOSE — A controversial monk’s plan to build a Buddhist temple in the East Foothills is floundering after the county put him on notice that he has fallen months behind in fine payments and needs to pay the bill in full, and fast.

Related Articles May 24, 2016 County OKs monk’s controversial Buddhist temple for East San Jose foothills

February 9, 2016 East San Jose: Decision on ‘bad neighbor’ Buddhist temple delayed Monk Tuan Van Nguyen, who goes by Master Thich Duc Huy, has wanted to build a temple in the residential unincorporated neighborhood since acquiring the Klein Road site in 2011. However, Nguyen didn’t go through formal channels in setting up events at the Canh Thai Temple, and neighbors long complained about unpermitted temporary structures on the site and events that would draw hundreds of worshippers, sometimes coming in chartered tour buses, playing amplified music and chanting loud enough to be heard for blocks around.

Last year the county cracked down with a judge’s order that prohibited gatherings and threatened $1,000-per-day fines for the unpermitted buildings and clutter that had accrued at the site. It was then vacated, and was free of violations when Nguyen applied for a permit to build a 7,000-square-foot permanent temple at the site.

County legal staff at the time said past behavior that had since ceased could not factor into making a decision on use for the site, and county officials approved the temple but with a list of conditions that included monthly $2,700 payments toward $75,000 in fines — a settlement from an original figure that topped $90,000.

But the temple stopped making payments and Santa Clara County lawyers sent out a sharply worded letter dated Dec. 16 by certified mail.

“As of today, you are in arrears for three months’ payment after previously issuing checks to the County that were either late or unpaid due to insufficient funds,” reads the letter. “The County therefore demands that you pay the entire outstanding administrative fines balance of $56.874.50 within 30 days of the date of this correspondence to resolve this matter.”

Otherwise, the letter states the county will take the monk to court and seek the entire punitive amount as well as legal fees — which would more than double the balance owed.

Nguyen could not be reached for comment — a man who answered a phone listed as belonging to the monk and the temple quickly hung up. Other temple associates have not returned emails and messages seeking comment.

However, others who were involved with the project said Nguyen is in a hard spot.

“It’s probably harder to raise money to pay fines than to construct a building,” said project architect Reid Lerner. “And I think the fines are disproportionately large compared with fines other clients of mine have faced.”

Gloria Ballard of MH Engineering, which had worked with Canh Thai to secure the needed permits, said the temple has not been successful in getting financing to build the structure. She said that the temple had been making payments to the “horrific fine applied by the county but I guess it’s all caught up with them.”

She said MH Engineering has not been retained for further work, and they had advised the temple that it should have a plan for full funding before moving forward.

“It does make it difficult to get financing when you are trying to pay a huge fine while concurrently trying to get start money,” Ballard said.

However, residents have not forgotten about the previous temple as run by a monk they consider a nuisance neighbor.

“Monk Duc Huy has not brought peace and order to our neighborhood as typically happens with other temples,” said neighbor Mark Cao. “With the county stepping up now, all that bad karma is finally coming back to Monk Duc Huy.”