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.
Grace Baptist has been able to pivot and draft new plans for a new 14-story residential building with 267 apartments with ground-floor space for church conference rooms, a catering hall and other commercial uses.
The church’s development arm, Grace Community Development, has partnered with Mountco Construction and development to create the SLCE Architects-designed building. The project will need a variance approval, and proposed plans were to be submitted for approval in Summer 2021. The plan is for apartments ranging from studios to three-bedrooms for families making between $35,000 and $105,000. The proposed monthly rent is $980-$2600.
Grace Baptist Church and Mountco Construction will seek financing from the New York State Housing Finance Agency, the Division of Housing and Community Renewal, and Westchester County.
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