Grace Baptist Church in Mount Vernon, NY had already planned to construct a new sanctuary on three neighboring lots on Second Street and Sixth Avenue when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Worship attendance changed overnight as congregants started tuning in virtually from their homes, other states or from other countries during the quarantine.
As gentrification intensifies in the South Bronx, new development projects, sponsored by city agencies, highlight the need for truly affordable housing development in all city neighborhoods.
Bronx Pro Group has partnered with the United Methodist City Society (UMCS) to transform a former church site, at 1080 Washington Avenue in the Bronx, into senior housing. The project, called Trinity – Reverend William M. James Senior Building, will provide housing for 154 seniors, with 57 supportive units set aside for formerly homeless seniors.
New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) has approved plans for the development of two residential buildings on a lot shared by the landmarked Hebron Seventh Day Adventist School. The lot was landmarked in 2011 as part of the Crown Heights North Historic District.
The First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica set out to elevate the use of a neighboring parking lot in late 2016 by introducing a 12-story mixed use residential building on the property. In order to bring this project to life, the development arm of the church, the First Jamaica Community and Urban Development Corporation partnered with Bluestone Organization, to produce commercial spaces, community spaces, a garage, and 174 affordable housing units.
In the case of Pioneer Works, located in the Red Hook neighborhood in Brooklyn, we see a defunct factory building reused as a site for art exhibitions and artists residency.
The Robeson is an M/WBE mixed income project by Lemor Development Group LLC. The project consists of a 79-unit new construction multifamily affordable housing development on two privately-owned vacant parcels and 3 city-owned parcels in Harlem.
In Omaha, the Tri-Faith Initiative unites a mosque, a synagogue, a church, and an interfaith center as a national model of collaboration and interfaith learning. The mission of the Tri-Faith Initiative to cultivate inclusive relationships and to advance interfaith relationships, was born out of conversations amongst faith leaders about changing space needs.
Quinlan Development Group is bringing 138 mixed-income units to 230 Classon Avenue in Clinton Hill. The project, slated for development on a parcel formerly owned by St Mary’s Episcopal Church, is scheduled for completion in Spring 2023.
Alchemy-ABR Investments Partners and Cain International have acquired 125 West 57th Street on Midtown’s Development Row from Calvary Baptist Church. This came as a welcomed proposition after a previous development partner pulled out of the redevelopment deal in March 2020.
