El Cajon’s big tent debate is over, at least for now. The El Cajon City Council has unanimously rejected an appeal from the Afghan Community Culture Center, clearing the way for the removal of the temporary tent that has been serving as a community gathering spot on East Main Street. The move keeps city and state rules on temporary structures firmly in place and pushes the nonprofit to speed up fundraising and find a backup home while it works toward a permanent building.
City Staff: Fire Code Limits Temporary Tents
City staff told council members that under the state fire code, temporary tents can only stay up for 180 days at a time, and that the center’s authorization technically ran out on Nov. 24, according to a staff report from the City of El Cajon. The same report notes that the planning commission had already weighed in, unanimously denying the group’s appeal at a February hearing.
Center Leaders Warn of Wide Impact
For the Afghan Community Culture Center, the tent is not just canvas and poles. It is where thousands of families gather for cultural, religious, and social events. Bakhtar Aminzay, the center’s president, told The San Diego Union-Tribune that more than 3,000 families rely on the site and warned that losing it “will greatly affect the group’s ability to serve the community.”
Aminzay said the nonprofit has already raised nearly $1 million toward a permanent structure but is still staring down about $2.1 million in remaining costs, a gap that now feels even more urgent with the clock ticking on the tent.
City Urges Interim Plans and Expedited Permits
City staff have urged the group to line up an interim site so programs are not stranded while the permanent project moves forward. According to the City of El Cajon, officials say they are prepared to move quickly on permits once the center has secured the necessary funding.
The recommendation, staff wrote, is meant to keep services going for Afghan families who have come to depend on the center’s activities and gatherings…